The Lawyer S Guide To Family Business Succession Planning

"This book provides lawyers with step-by-step guidance on how to lead family business owners through the succession planning process to produce a result that is tailored to the unique circumstances and objectives of the owners and their successors."--Back cover.

A practical guide to best and worst practices for family businesses - from drawing up incorporation documents to succession planning to selling the business. The book also includes examples from actual court cases and presents these lessons in an accessible manner. Sample legal agreements are included which help to avoid some of the major risks to the family business.

Written by two attorneys who specialize in estate planning, this book clarifies all the issues involved in planning an estate and transferring wealth. It offers comprehensive estate planning guidelines, including creating a will, designating power of attorney, trusts, and life insurance, and includes up-to-date estate and inheritance tax information.

This book is designed to be a guide to demystify the journey leading to preserving family legacy. It is based on the fact that a family business is a partnership among its members, and that the most successful family business succession plan is the one devised by the family itself. In this book, the author shares his unique experience working with hundreds of business families and next-generation family business entrepreneurs from across the world. His 7-Step Methodology(TM) offers an innovative and a systemic approach to family business succession planning and related conflict management. It focuses on the importance of maintaining an open dialogue among family members, and it paves the way to a structured conversation among those interested in achieving an orderly transfer of wealth from one generation to another. The author further discusses the elements that traditionally cause tensions among partners who happen to be family members, and offers solutions that have been tried and tested over two decades and that are based on real-life examples and success stories. This text is designed for families in business who wish to start a succession planning conversation and to family business advisors invited to facilitate such a conversation.

As the first wave of Canadian baby boomers retire over the next few years, succession planning will be vital for the long-term survival of many businesses. Canada is about to see a huge transfer of wealth from this generation to the next, yet many businesses struggle to ensure a smooth transition of business management and ownership. For family-owned companies, the ramifications may be even more sweeping. The personal issues they face, compounding other day-to-day business concerns, range from planning for income taxes to maintaining interpersonal relationships with family members. A good succession plan will manage a range of issues, such as people and talent, family dynamics, corporate structure, estate planning, insurance and share transfer, to name just a few. Who Will Take Over the Business? is for any business owner who wants to retire, sell, or transfer ownership of their business. It is designed to guide business owners through a comprehensive and strategic approach to the business succession process to ensure that the transition is carried out as smoothly as possible. Who Will Take Over the Business? is a must-have resource for every Canadian business owner.

Family and Business Succession Planning Strategies is an authoritative, insiders perspective on key strategies for advising clients on succession planning for closely-held businesses. Featuring partners from law firms across the nation, these experts guide the reader through the key steps in helping clients develop personal and business succession plans in ways that will achieve their wealth transfer goals and ensure the smoothest possible transition. These top lawyers give tips on getting the client started on the planning process, discussing sensitive family issues, and working with the clients other advisors or employees. From effective tax planning to business valuation and cash flow considerations, these authors explain the key elements in creating a long-term exit strategy for a business owner that allows them to remain on sound familial and financial terms. The different niches represented and the breadth of perspectives presented enable readers to get inside some of the great legal minds of today, as these experienced lawyers offer up their thoughts around the keys to navigating this ever-evolving area of law.