Litigation and compensation · Czechia and Slovakia
Shareholder disputes
Decision-making deadlock, disagreement over the direction of the business or suspected diversion of business opportunities. We assess your position, the disputed issues and supporting documents, then propose negotiations or court action suited to the situation in a Slovak or Czech company.
- Lawyer registered with the Czech and Slovak Bar Associations
- Resolution by agreement or through the courts
- Prices agreed in advance
What we'll do for you
We start by negotiating shareholder conflicts. Court proceedings are a tool, not the first choice. The price always includes a strategy tailored to your position in the company.
Select an item to see the details.
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Analysis of your position
From the company documents, we assess your rights, voting proportions and realistic options — what you can enforce, agree and defend against.
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Strategy and negotiation
We prepare possible solutions (agreement, buyout, division of the business or litigation) and conduct negotiations with the other party or its lawyers.
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Shareholders' agreement
We reflect the solution reached in binding documents — a settlement agreement, transfer of an ownership interest, or amendment to the memorandum of association or shareholders' agreement.
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Protection of shareholder rights
Information rights, scrutiny of the managing director, review of corporate decisions and damages for loss caused to the company — we use the tools the law gives shareholders.
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Court proceedings
If agreement is impossible, we represent you in proceedings, from challenges to general meeting resolutions to disputes over settlement of your ownership interest.
Deliverablea conflict resolution strategy and its implementation through a shareholders' agreement, settlement or representation in proceedings
How it works
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- Consultationday 0
We review the company documents and description of the conflict. We explain your position and which solutions are realistic.
- Strategy
We agree the objective (preserving the company, leaving at a fair price or gaining control) and the approach that achieves it with the least damage.
- Negotiation or proceedings
We negotiate with the other party; if that fails, we enforce your rights through the courts. You know the cost of each step in advance.
- Settling the relationship
We reflect the outcome in binding documents and Commercial Register entries so the conflict does not return.
No-obligation enquiry
Ready to start?
Send us an enquiry. We usually reply within 24 hours with a price confirmation and next steps. The first 30-minute consultation is free and commits you to nothing.
- 1Send your enquiry via this form
- 2Usually within 24 h you get a price confirmation and plan
- 3We start work only after your approval
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What clients ask
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We want to agree on an exit. Is this still a dispute?
If you want an agreed arrangement covering the ownership interest, loans, personal obligations and management handover, see shareholder exit and financial settlement – in Slovak. This page is for conflicts, disputed claims and protection of your rights. The two services can follow on from one another as the matter develops.
We each hold 50% and cannot agree. What can we do?
Deadlock can be addressed by negotiating a buyout of one shareholder's interest, dividing the business or using mechanisms in a shareholders' agreement, if one exists. If none is workable, court remedies may be available, including dissolution of the company — but these are last resorts, and we discuss them openly.
Can I challenge a general meeting resolution?
Yes, where a resolution breaches the law or the memorandum of association, a shareholder can ask the court to declare it invalid — but both Slovakia and Czechia have short deadlines running from the general meeting. Act promptly; we assess your prospects and prepare the filing in time.
As a minority shareholder, I do not have a majority. Do I have any tools?
Yes — rights to information and inspection of documents, the ability to request a general meeting, challenge its resolutions or bring the company's damages claim against a managing director. We assess which tools make sense in your situation from the company documents.
A shareholder has set up a competing company and is taking clients. What can we do?
Managing directors are subject to a statutory non-compete obligation, while shareholders often have a contractual one — we assess the breach from the company documents and pursue restitution of the benefit, damages or other claims. Prompt action and preservation of evidence are important.
Can conflict be prevented?
Yes — a well-drafted memorandum of association and shareholders' agreement address deadlock, valuation of interests and exit rules in advance. If conflict is only beginning to develop, now is the time to add these provisions; we can help.
How much does resolving a dispute cost?
It depends on whether the matter is settled through negotiations or ends up in court. We proceed in stages and confirm the price of each in advance — we honour what we agree.
Legal Q&A
Common questions on this topic
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Is a business share in an s.r.o. inherited, and can the heir continue as a shareholder?
A business share is inherited, but the memorandum of association may exclude inheritance, except in a single-member s.r.o., where the share always passes. If inheritance is allowed, the heir becomes a shareholder. If they are not the sole shareholder and cannot reasonably be required to remain, they may seek court termination of their participation. If inheritance is excluded, the heir does not become a shareholder but is entitled to a settlement share.
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How is a shareholder’s settlement share calculated when participation ends?
A shareholder whose participation ends while the company continues becomes entitled to a settlement share. The statutory calculation uses the previous accounting period’s ordinary financial statements and the ratio of that shareholder’s paid contribution to all paid contributions. This is only a default rule. The memorandum may prescribe another method, such as net business equity, and a different due date; those terms take precedence.
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Does a business share in an s.r.o. form part of marital community property?
Under the prevailing case law, a business share acquired during marriage using joint funds forms part of marital community property as an asset, although this remains a long-disputed issue. Only the spouse registered in the Commercial Register is a shareholder; the other does not automatically gain shareholder status. On divorce, the value of the share is settled rather than participation in the company being divided. A share acquired before marriage, by gift or inheritance is outside the marital community.
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Further reading
An arbitration clause for disputes between shareholders: what can go before arbitrators and what is better left out
Shareholders may agree in advance that their disputes will be decided by arbitrators instead of a court. A clause in the memorandum of association may bind future shareholders too, yet not every corporate dispute is suited to arbitration. This article is for shareholders of an s.r.o. and of a joint-stock company who are settling a memorandum of association or a shareholder agreement.
Read more →
Shareholders parting ways and intellectual property: who keeps the brand, the software and the business name
When shareholders part ways, the price of the ownership interest is what gets negotiated, yet the value of the company often lies in its brand, its software and the name under which customers know it. If those assets do not legally belong to the company, the departing shareholder may take them away. This article is for shareholders in start-ups, IT companies and family businesses dealing with a shareholder’s departure or seeking to prevent one.
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An arbitral award from Slovakia in Czechia and from Czechia in Slovakia: recognition and enforcement
You have won the arbitration, but the debtor’s assets lie across the Czech-Slovak border. Arbitral awards fall outside the European regulation on enforcement of judgments, so between Slovakia and Czechia they are enforced under the New York Convention and national statutes. This article is for creditors and debtors dealing with enforcement or defence in the other country.
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