LAWS0009 Foundations of Company Law
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Course Code |
LAWS0009 |
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Course Title |
Foundations of Company Law |
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Class Date |
14, 15, 16, 17, 20 and 21 July 2026 (22 July 2026 is reserved for class make-up in case there is any cancellation of classes due to bad weather or other unexpected factors.)
(23 July 2026 is reserved for class assessment, if any.) |
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Class Time |
9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. |
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Teacher |
Associate Professor |
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Medium of Instruction |
English |
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Course Description |
This course will introduce you to Hong Kong company law, with primary focus on the company limited by shares. Since a company is a vehicle created by law to serve ce11ain needs, you will learn the reasons why companies have taken their current form of organization, how this organization operates, and the problems that this organization entails, including: the extent to which shareholders may control a company while delegating power to the board of directors, the “agency problems” created by delegating power to the board, the problems that arise for company creditors because shareholders can cause distributions of the company’s assets to themselves, and the risk of majority shareholders abusing the rights of minority shareholders. |
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Course Content |
The following is subject to adjustments depending on teaching time and on the size of the class.
The following topics will be the focus on Companies and the Law I.
Introduction business association forms
Sole proprietors (traders), partnerships and limited partnerships. Companies: the nature of the company and types of companies. The advantages of incorporation: partnerships and companies contrasted.
The Company as independent entity
The role of the Companies Registry and the registration process. The articles of association: the objects clause and the ultra vires doctrine. Abolition of the ultra vires doctrine. Limited liability and piercing the corporate veil. The articles of association. Its function and contractual effect. What the articles mean for the nature of company law. Strategic drafting of the articles. Altering the memorandum and articles.
Contracts with the company, pre-incorporation and post-incorporation
Pre-incorporation contracts between promoters and third parties. When is the company bound by a contract entered into before it exists? The effect of the former ultra vires doctrine on contracts. General agency principles and company law. Actual authority and ostensible authority. Indoor management rule and the constructive notice doctrine. Effect of restrictions in the articles and the constructive notice doctrine.
The board of directors and management
The powers of directors. Appointment and removal of directors. Shadow directors. Directors’ remuneration. Executive and nonexecutive directors. Disqualification of directors.
Directors’ duties of care and fiduciary duty
The common law duty to exercise reasonable care, skill and diligence. Two levels: company and director related elements. Business judgment and risk taking. Remedies for breach of the duty of care. Members’ ratification. Disqualification of directors. The common law fiduciary duty of a director to act bona fide in the best interests of the company, to exercise power for a proper purpose, to avoid conflicts of interest, not to profit from the office, and not to take corporate opportunities. Conflicts of interest. Remedies for breach of directors’ duties. Members’ ratification of breach. Disqualification of directors.
Shareholders’ derivative actions
At common law: the rule in Foss v Harbottle and its exceptions. The no reflective loss principle. Difficulties with the common law actions. The statutory derivative action: scope, proper plaintiff, leave requirement, and ratification. Co-existence of the statutory and common law derivative actions. The interrelationship between the unfair prejudice remedy and the derivative action Unfair prejudice and just and equitable winding up. |
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Learning Outcomes |
Successful completion of this course should enable you to understand the legal relationships present in a Hong Kong company limited by shares, the basic operation of companies, and where to find the provisions of law necessary to reach more specific conclusions specifically, you will learn, among other things, how to:
· Incorporate a company, · Understand company constitutional documents, · Advise directors on how to represent the company in contractual dealings, · Finance a company by allotting shares, · Advise directors and officers regarding their duty of care and fiduciary duty, · Advise shareholders on how to sue directors for breach of such duties. |
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Course Assessment |
Open Book Examination (100%) |
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The above course information is subject to change and approval. |
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Last updated on 20 February 2026 |