Articles of association are a company's internal rulebook, governing how directors act, how shares are issued and transferred, and how decisions are made.
Model articles apply by default and are adequate for a single-shareholder company. With more than one shareholder they are close to silent on the things that go wrong — deadlock, a member leaving, a founder who stops working in the business — which is what a shareholders' agreement or bespoke articles exist to cover.
Related terms
- Memorandum of association — A memorandum of association is the short statutory document in which the first shareholders confirm they agree to form the company and take at least one share each.
- Shareholders' agreement — A shareholders' agreement is a private contract between shareholders covering matters the articles do not, and it is not filed at Companies House.
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Statutory rules, then the Companies House register. Free, and no email required.
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