Distinction between Employees and Independent Contractors

Contracts on service provision may take the form of a contract of service (employment contract) or a contract for services (independent contractor/consultant agreement). Independent contractor agreements involve entities or individuals who are genuinely self-employed, not the company’s employee. When issues arise, the Courts usually look into the substance rather than the form of such agreements to determine whether or not they are in fact employment contracts masked as independent contractor agreements to enable an employer avoid its obligations. Such an investigation into substance would include an examination of the contractual provisions in addition to whether or not the level of control amounts to employment. The following is a summary of the distinction between employees and independent contractors:

Continue reading “Distinction between Employees and Independent Contractors”

The Business Prenup – The Importance of a Shareholders Agreement

Introduction

No one goes into a marriage already expecting the worst, but even the most seemingly stable couples can hit bumps in the road that tear them apart. Prenuptial agreements have the power to protect both parties when entering a marriage. The whole idea being to minimize the uncertainties of the law and litigation, if something does happen and the marriage ends in divorce or death.

Similarly, a shareholders’ agreement (business prenup) would be extremely handy in the event of a dispute or a breakdown in trust between the shareholders of a company i.e. disagreement on the business of a company, or the methods of carrying out the same, or their decision making powers etc. A lack of certainty created by not having a shareholders’ agreement in place can often lead to disputes amongst the shareholders which can be costly to deal with. Continue reading “The Business Prenup – The Importance of a Shareholders Agreement”