Closely Held Companies Committee

The mission of the Committee is to address issues of particular interest to start ups, owner-managed, closely held and family businesses and their legal advisors, and to organisations with ambitions for growth. The Committee's aim is to provide a focus for the different needs of ownership, management and financing of such organisations. Particular focus is placed on: management and ownership issues, finance and the raising of tier one and two capital, shareholder issues and agreements, business succession plans, exit planning, relationships with outside investors, protection of minority interests, dispute monitoring and resolution, the role of professionals in management and advisory roles and relevant issues arising from tax, employment, real estate, estate planning and family law.

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Forthcoming conferences and webinars View All Conferences

10th Global Entrepreneurship Conference: Legal Challenges in Closely Held Businesses: Strategies for Success and Sustainability

17 May - 19 May 2026

Vienna , Austria

IBA Annual Conference Copenhagen 2026

04 Oct - 09 Oct 2026

Copenhagen , Denmark

Publications
All articles

Session report from the 9th Global Entrepreneurship Conference in May 2025: How closely held companies are managing risk and uncertainty in a constantly evolving environment

This article provides a summary of the session titled ‘How closely held companies are managing risk and uncertainty in a constantly evolving environment’, held at the 9th Global Entrepreneur-ship Conference. The panel convened to discuss the biggest risks, externally and internally, for closely held companies in uncertain times, and how closely held companies can prepare for such challenges.

Released on Oct 21, 2025

Interactive workshop one: selected corporate governance topics (part I), 13 May 2024

After a brief introduction of the six main topics and the corresponding moderators by the chairpersons, the auditorium was divided into a total of 12 tables, two tables with one moderator per topic. The moderators had each prepared their topic in advance with a list of questions so that the results of the two tables per topic were comparable. The results were then compared and summarised by the moderators after a discussion lasting around 30 minutes. The results thus obtained were then presented by the moderator teams for each topic.

Released on Aug 11, 2024

Report – 8th IBA Global Entrepreneurship Conference: Venturing and Discovering Overseas Markets

Shaw writes up a report of the ‘Trends in corporate and venture capital to fuel growth of disruptive businesses’ session form the 8th Annual IBA Global Entrepreneurship Conference. Shaw provides a helpful breakdown of the panellists’ insights and responses to questions given during the session.

Released on Aug 11, 2024

A general counsel’s view: supporting business and hedging risks in overseas markets

In this session, a panel of general counsel shared insights on how they are safeguarding business operations in overseas markets and how legal strategies can be used to effectively hedge risks, ensuring a robust legal framework that fosters success in the international field. More precisely, the question addressed by the Co-Chairs was to find out ‘What is the work of the general counsel within the process of internationalisation of the business and how does it impact on the relationship with external counsel?’. The panel addressed compliance issues and how to manage risks, conflicts and litigation.

Released on Aug 11, 2024

Projects and reports

The IBA Guide on Shareholders’ Agreements

The IBA Guide on Shareholders' Agreements, prepared by this Committee, provides practical information on the legal rules on shareholders’ agreements and their application in each contributing jurisdiction. Many of the submissions have been updated (as indicated).

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Subcommittees and other groups

The Closely Held Companies Committee also coordinates the activities of the following subcommittees/working groups.

  • Closely Held Companies Committee Advisory Board

Join us on LinkedIn

If you are a member of the Closely Held Companies Committee, for additional networking opportunities, programs, interviews with fellow members and tips all exclusive to members, join our LinkedIn page at: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9861209/.

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