Areas of expertise
Partnership & Shareholder Disputes
Shareholder disagreements, partnership breakdown, director disputes, SME fallouts and exit arrangements.
Introduction
Disputes between the owners of a business are rarely only about money. People who built something together fall out over strategy, drawings, workload, succession or a loss of trust, and the business is caught in the middle.
These disputes are unusually damaging: while they run, decisions are not taken, staff take sides, funders become nervous and value leaks away.
What we cover
- Shareholder disagreements
- Partnership breakdown
- Director disputes
- SME and family business disputes
- Exit and buy-out arrangements
Why mediation?
Unfair prejudice petitions and partnership actions are among the most expensive claims in the civil courts, and the costs are often paid, ultimately, by the business itself.
Mediation can resolve the valuation, the terms of an exit and the practical handover in one confidential day, and it can do so before the relationship becomes irretrievable.
How ProMediate can help
We give each owner a private, unhurried opportunity to explain what has actually gone wrong, then move the discussion to the choices realistically available: who buys whom out, at what price, on what timetable and with what protections.
Where a separation is inevitable, we help design an orderly one — payment schedules, guarantees and loan accounts, restrictive covenants, announcements to staff and customers — so the business survives the split.
Why choose ProMediate?
An experienced panel
Barristers, solicitors and senior professionals who have mediated across the full range of commercial, civil and workplace disputes.
CMC Registered Provider
ProMediate is a Civil Mediation Council Registered Mediation Provider, working to recognised professional and complaints standards.
Nationwide coverage
We arrange mediations throughout England and Wales, at a venue convenient to the parties or at our own arranged rooms.
Online and face to face
Full online mediation on Teams or Zoom, hybrid sessions and traditional in-person days — whichever suits the dispute.
Flexible appointments
Evening, weekend and short-notice appointments are available, and most mediations can be arranged within two to three weeks.
Confidential throughout
The process is private and without prejudice. Nothing said in the mediation can be used later if the matter does not settle.
Commercial and pragmatic
We focus on outcomes that work in practice — payment terms, future arrangements and clean settlements — not on winning arguments.
Frequently asked questions
- We disagree completely on what the shares are worth. Can mediation still help?
- Yes. Valuation differences are common and often narrow considerably once each side sees the assumptions behind the other's figure. Payment structure can also bridge a gap that price alone cannot.
- Can family members and spouses take part?
- Where they have a genuine stake in the outcome, involving them often helps. We will agree who attends in advance.
- Is anything said in the mediation disclosable later?
- No. The process is confidential and without prejudice, so owners can explore options they would never put in open correspondence.
Request a mediation
Request a mediation, ask for a quotation or speak to our team about this dispute. Tell us briefly what has happened and we will suggest suitable mediators, available dates and a fixed fee — usually within one working day.