Business Legal Health Check BC — Free Tool | Sea to Sky Law

A free 5-minute assessment for BC business owners — covering liability protection, contracts, shareholder agreements, succession planning, and more.

Most BC businesses have at least one significant legal gap they're unaware of. This checklist helps you find yours — before a dispute, a departure, or a divorce does.

Your next step is a free conversation.

Most legal gaps take a single meeting to address. Andrew Liggett has helped BC business owners protect what they've built since 1991.

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My business is incorporated (not operating as a sole proprietor)

I have a signed shareholders agreement with all co-owners

My shareholders agreement has been reviewed by a BC lawyer in the last 3 years

My shareholders agreement includes a buy-sell (shotgun) clause or similar exit mechanism

My personal assets are clearly separated from business assets

All my key client and supplier relationships are covered by written contracts

My contracts have been reviewed by a BC lawyer (not just copied from the internet)

My contracts include clear payment terms, dispute resolution clauses, and termination provisions

I use written employment agreements for all employees

My employment agreements comply with BC's Employment Standards Act

I have registered or applied for any trademarks that protect my business name or brand

My employees have signed confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements

My contracts with contractors include IP ownership clauses (work-for-hire)

I have documented my key business processes, systems, and proprietary information

My will addresses what happens to my shares in the business on my death

I have a buy-sell arrangement that would allow surviving owners to buy out a deceased or departing owner

I have key-person life insurance to protect the business if I or a key employee dies

I have had a business valuation done in the last 3 years

I understand how my business would be treated in a BC divorce (as a family asset)

My shareholders agreement includes spousal consent clauses or equivalent protection

I have a prenuptial or cohabitation agreement that addresses my business interests (if applicable)

I have obtained independent legal advice about protecting my business if my marriage or partnership ends

Do I need a shareholders agreement if I'm the sole owner?

If you're the sole owner, a shareholders agreement is less critical — but you still need a clear succession plan in your will and corporate documents that address what happens to your shares on death. If you ever take on a partner or investor, a shareholders agreement becomes essential immediately.

Under BC's Family Law Act, the increase in value of your business during the relationship is presumptively a family asset subject to equal division. The business is valued by a business valuator using methods appropriate to your industry. The pre-relationship value (if you owned it before the marriage or cohabitation) may be excluded. This is one of the most important and most overlooked legal risks for BC business owners.

What is a buy-sell clause in a shareholders agreement?

A buy-sell clause (also called a shotgun clause) is a mechanism that allows one shareholder to trigger a forced buy-out of another shareholder at a named price. It resolves deadlocked disputes efficiently and gives each party an incentive to name a fair price. Without one, a partner dispute can paralyze a business for years.

Any time there is a significant change — a new shareholder joins, a shareholder departs, a shareholder marries or separates, the business value changes significantly, or there is a change in the business model. At minimum, review it every 3 years with a BC business lawyer.

Free BC business legal health check — assess your shareholder agreement, contracts, liability protection, succession plan & more. Instant score. Sea to Sky Law.

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Business Legal Health Check BC — Free Interactive Assessment for BC Business Owners. This free tool helps BC business owners identify their legal gaps across five key areas: corporate structure and liability protection, contracts and commercial agreements, intellectual property and confidentiality, business succession and exit planning, and business protection at divorce. Most BC businesses have at least one significant legal gap they are unaware of. This checklist helps you find yours before a dispute, a departure, or a divorce does. Category 1: Corporate Structure and Liability — are you incorporated? Do you have a signed shareholders agreement? Does it include a buy-sell clause? Are your personal assets clearly separated from business assets? Category 2: Contracts and Commercial Agreements — are all key client and supplier relationships covered by written contracts reviewed by a BC lawyer? Do you use written employment agreements that comply with BC's Employment Standards Act? Category 3: Intellectual Property and Confidentiality — do your employees have signed NDAs? Have your contractors signed IP ownership clauses? Category 4: Business Succession and Exit Planning — do you have a written succession plan? Does your will address your shares? Do you have key-person life insurance? Category 5: Separation and Business Protection — do you understand how your business would be treated in a BC divorce? Does your shareholders agreement include spousal consent clauses? Andrew Liggett has helped BC business owners protect what they have built since 1991. Sea to Sky Law provides free intake calls for business law matters. A business legal health check is a practical review of the documents and arrangements that keep your company protected. It looks at your contracts with customers and suppliers, employment and contractor agreements, shareholder or partnership terms, privacy practices, and how intellectual property is owned and licensed. Many business owners discover gaps only when a dispute arises, so a proactive review can save significant time and money. The check is completed by phone or secure video, and you receive a clear summary of priorities. Call Sea to Sky Law at (778) 728-0208 to schedule yours.
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