Companies generally enjoy a fruitful relationship with their shareholders, but if a dispute arises, it can lead to litigation that has far-reaching effects on a company’s operations. Shareholder disputes – including disagreements about management, perceptions of minority shareholder mistreatment, and concerns over executive compensation – can wreak havoc on a company. No matter what the cause of shareholder dissatisfaction, if the issue cannot be quickly and successfully resolved in the ordinary course, a company can be subjected to litigation that is costly, time-consuming, and reputation-damaging.  

From the earliest stages of a shareholder issue, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr seeks to protect the rights of its corporate clients. Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr’s shareholder litigators have broad experience advising public and private companies, management, boards of directors, and board committees on a wide range of corporate governance matters. Our clients range from large publicly traded and privately operated companies to real estate investment trusts (REITs) with millions of dollars under management. Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr is frequently engaged to serve as local counsel on shareholder lawsuits because of our ability to provide unique local knowledge and strategy based upon our familiarity with local laws and practice, as well as our deep-rooted experience with local, state and federal judges and courts. We regularly represent clients in corporate law and governance matters, including:

• Allegations of breaches of fiduciary duties and securities laws
• Conflicts of interest and related party transactions
• Committee formation and governance
• Shareholder demand response
• Director and executive compensation 
• Governmental action and investigations 
• Mergers and spin-offs 
• Change-in-control transactions  
• Internal investigations
• Securities offerings
• Special litigation committee formation and investigations
• Denial of stockholder proposals
• Takeover defenses 
• Proxy contests 

Our shareholder litigation team includes seasoned litigators who have handled high-stakes and high-profile litigation.  We also understand the complexities of working with government agencies and have developed valuable relationships with federal and state regulators, which often help our efforts to achieve positive outcomes for our clients.

See Related Services Offered for Shareholder Litigation