Founder, Partner & Shareholder Arbitration Lawyers
The people who built the company together now disagree about who owns what. The operating or shareholder agreement sends the dispute to arbitration.
We represent founders, partners, minority holders and investors on both sides of these claims. Counsel in more than 130 arbitrations before AAA, JAMS and NAM since 2019.
Ownership disputes are decided on the documents and the numbers.
Founder and partner disputes feel personal. Arbitrators decide them on the agreement, the cap table, the board minutes and the financial records.
The agreement sets the forum, the valuation method and often the remedy. The records show who did what and when.
The party that organizes that evidence first, and brings the right valuation expert, usually controls the case. Emergency relief in court can protect the company while the arbitration proceeds.
These are large, document-heavy business cases.
Published AAA figures for complex business-to-business cases in 2025.
Half of business cases settle before award. The valuation evidence and the record of conduct set the terms. Sources: AAA, Commercial Arbitration; AAA, Resolving B2B Disputes with Arbitration.
Equity, control and money.
Equity splits and vesting
Disputes over founder shares, vesting schedules, acceleration, forfeiture and promised but undocumented equity.
Buyouts and valuation
Fair-value and formula buyouts under operating and shareholder agreements. Forensic accountants and valuation experts retained for the hearing.
Breach of fiduciary duty
Self-dealing, diversion of opportunities, excessive compensation and freeze-outs of minority holders.
Operating and shareholder agreement disputes
Voting, information rights, capital calls, distributions, transfer restrictions and removal provisions.
Startup investor disputes
SAFE, convertible note and preferred stock disputes between founders and investors, including misrepresentation claims.
Emergency and interim relief
Orders to preserve assets, books and control while the arbitration proceeds, under provider rules or in court in aid of arbitration.
How a founder or shareholder arbitration runs.
The agreement sets the rules. The records and the experts decide the case.
Agreement and cap table review
Operating or shareholder agreement, equity grants, board consents and investor documents. We confirm the forum, the valuation standard and the remedies.
Protective steps
Where assets, control or records are at risk, emergency relief under provider rules or a court order in aid of arbitration.
Demand or answer
Filed under the named rules. Counterclaims asserted where the record supports them.
Records and experts
Financial statements, bank records, communications and minutes. Valuation and forensic accounting experts prepared for hearing.
Hearing, award and enforcement
A private hearing before one or three arbitrators. The award is confirmed in court and enforced against the company or the individuals.
Counsel and experts, matched to the dispute.
Counsel in more than 130 arbitrations.
Before AAA, JAMS and NAM since 2019, for claimants and for respondents. We know each provider’s list procedures, fee schedules and deadlines, and the courts that compel, confirm and vacate.
Experts retained to fit the case.
Forensic accountants, damages analysts, cybersecurity and authentication specialists, payments professionals, construction engineers and compensation experts, prepared for hearing.
Protect your position before the next board vote.
Access to records and accounts can disappear quickly. Deadlines in the agreement run from the notice.
- Save your copies of the operating agreement, grants, cap table and board materials
- Request the books and records in writing, as the agreement or statute allows
- Preserve your communications with co-founders and investors
- Note the dates of the removal, the notice and any buyout offer
- Call counsel before responding to a buyout offer or signing a release
- Accept a nominal buyout to end the stress
- Take company data, code or customer lists you are not entitled to keep
- Make public statements about the company or your partners
- Transfer or encumber your interest without reading the transfer restrictions
- Miss the arbitration or notice deadlines in the agreement
From the firm’s writing.
NYC Business Arbitration Attorney: File or Defend a Claim
Forum differences, arbitrator lists and discovery limits in commercial cases.
Read the articleTemporary Restraining Order (TRO) Attorney in New York
When emergency court relief is available, and what it takes to obtain it.
Read the articleAI Startup Attorney: Legal Guide for Founders & Seed Funding
Formation, equity and investor terms that prevent later disputes.
Read the articleFrequently asked.
Often, yes. New York law allows a court to grant an attachment or preliminary injunction in connection with an arbitration when the award might otherwise be rendered ineffectual. Provider rules also allow emergency arbitrators. We choose the faster route for the facts.
The agreement usually sets the standard, such as fair value or a formula. Where it is silent, the governing law supplies one. Valuation experts present the analysis; arbitrators decide between competing reports.
Yes. Minority holders can bring direct claims for breach of the agreement and, in many cases, derivative claims for breach of fiduciary duty on behalf of the company.
Those claims are harder but not impossible. Emails, messages, pitch decks and cap tables shared with investors can establish the promise. The forum depends on the agreements that do exist.
For AAA business cases over $1 million closed in 2025, the median time to award was 18.7 months. Half settled earlier. Complex valuation disputes take longer than simple contract claims.
Yes. We represent companies, boards and majority holders responding to founder and minority claims, as well as the claimants. Each side benefits from knowing how the other prepares.
Other areas of the practice.
Every category we arbitrate, from consumer claims to complex commercial disputes. Back to the overview.
Ownership in dispute? Start with the agreement and the numbers.
Call for a confidential consultation. We will tell you what the agreement provides, what your interest is worth and how to protect it now.