Contractual and Corporate Law Attorneys for Business Decisions
Clear structures for contracts, ownership and transactions.
Business decisions create legal consequences across contracts, ownership, governance and transactions. We assist qualifying businesses, shareholders, founders and decision-makers with clear legal structures, carefully drafted documents and proportionate risk assessment.
In Short
Sarah Alison Attorneys advises companies and shareholders on contract drafting, shareholder agreements and legal due diligence in Durban and Johannesburg, combining legal precision with practical commercial judgement.
Overview
Legal Advice Aligned With the Business Decision
A useful corporate-law mandate starts with the commercial objective — launching a relationship, bringing in an investor, managing shareholder expectations or assessing a target.
A document is not the objective by itself. A well-drafted agreement or resolution must fit the actual deal, company structure and operational reality. Legal advice should be coordinated with tax, accounting, finance, employment, competition and sector-specific advice where the matter requires it.
This page provides general South African information and is not legal advice for your specific matter.
Our Services
Our Contractual and Corporate Law Services
Contract Drafting & Review
Draft, review and negotiate commercial agreements that clearly record obligations, risk and remedies.
02Shareholder Agreements
Align founders and shareholders on ownership, funding, transfers, exits and deadlock planning.
03Legal Due Diligence
A defined legal review for an acquisition, investment or material transaction.
Who We Assist
Corporate Legal Support for
Businesses and Decision-Makers
Advising a company is not automatically the same as advising each director, shareholder or founder personally — where interests diverge, separate advice may be required.
Company Law Framework
Company Documents
Must Work Together
The Companies Act 71 of 2008, as amended, governs company organisation and relationships among companies, shareholders and directors. A company's Memorandum of Incorporation, rules, shareholder arrangements and commercial contracts must be read together — not drafted in isolation. Every company must have an MOI, and current amendments and CIPC processes must be checked when advice is given.
Contracts and Ownership
Contracts and Ownership
Commercial Contracts
Contracts That Reflect the Actual Commercial Relationship
Contract work may include identifying the correct parties, defining deliverables and dependencies, pricing and payment mechanics, warranties and liability, IP and confidentiality, termination and dispute-resolution provisions. A precedent should always be adapted to the actual transaction.
Shareholders & Governance
Aligning Ownership With Governance and Exit Planning
Shareholders should consider more than percentage ownership. The legal structure may need to address board composition, reserved matters, funding, transfer restrictions, deadlock mechanisms and exit arrangements — all aligned with the MOI and applicable law.
Transactions and Governance
Transactions and Governance
Legal Due Diligence
Know the Legal Risk Before the Transaction
Legal due diligence is a scoped investigation, not a guarantee that every risk will be found. Findings are decision-focused: critical issues, matters affecting price, required consents, and protections to consider before proceeding.
Governance
Supporting Properly Authorised Company Decisions
Corporate advice may require checking who has authority, which organ of the company must decide, whether the MOI changes the default position, and how the decision should be documented. The company is a separate client from its directors.
Beyond This Firm's Scope
When Other Specialist Advice
Is Required
A transaction may also raise tax, exchange-control, competition, employment, intellectual-property or sector-licensing questions. We identify these dependencies and coordinate or recommend specialist input where appropriate — we do not imply expertise in every adjacent field.
Our Process
From Commercial Objective
to Implemented Documents
Conflict & Client Identification
We identify the company, stakeholders, counterparties and intended client.
Scope & Objective
We define the decision, transaction, deliverables and exclusions.
Document & Fact Collection
We gather the current MOI, agreements, registers and approvals.
Legal & Risk Review
We assess authority, obligations, dependencies and material risk.
Drafting, Negotiation & Approval
We produce the documents and manage comments and formal approvals.
Signature & Implementation
We confirm execution, conditions, filings and post-signing actions.
The exact process depends on the scope, transaction and information available.
Preventing Disputes
Draft for the Relationship —
and for What Happens if It Changes
Dispute prevention involves clear performance obligations, notice mechanisms, escalation, cure rights and a suitable dispute process. Where a dispute already exists, legal strategy may require preserving rights, sending a formal notice, negotiating, mediating or litigating.
Why Sarah Alison Attorneys
Clear Legal Work for
Practical Business Outcomes
Advice Anchored to the Objective
Legal work built around the actual commercial decision.
Careful Document Alignment
Contracts, governance documents and company structure kept consistent.
Clear Risk Identification
Material risks and decision points explained in plain language.
Proportionate Scoping
Engagement matched to the business and transaction size.
FAQ
Corporate and Commercial Law FAQs
What does a corporate law attorney do?
Advises on company law, governance, ownership arrangements, transactions and related commercial documents within our confirmed scope.
Is corporate law the same as commercial law?
They overlap but are not identical — corporate law concerns companies and governance, commercial law focuses on business contracts. A matter may involve both.
Does every company need a shareholder agreement?
Not every company has the same needs, but companies with multiple shareholders should consider how ownership and decision-making will operate.
What is the difference between an MOI and a shareholder agreement?
The MOI is the company's constitutional document filed with CIPC. A shareholder agreement is a contract among its parties, and both must be consistent.
When should a business have a contract reviewed?
Ideally before signature, renewal or a material variation, when there is more room to clarify terms and negotiate risk.
What is legal due diligence?
A defined review of documents and information to identify legal risks relevant to a proposed transaction — not a guarantee every issue will be found.
Can one attorney advise the company and all shareholders?
Not automatically. Interests may diverge, and separate representation may be required once conflicts are assessed.
Do you handle corporate disputes?
Active shareholder or contractual disputes are routed to our litigation team after a fresh conflict and merits assessment.
Get in Touch
Discuss Your Contract, Governance or Transaction Matter
Tell us the business objective, parties, decision date and documents already available. We will complete a conflict check and confirm whether the matter falls within our corporate-law services.