Out of court

Problems with expert determination clauses

A very common clause used to establish the value of shares or other assets is defective, according to a recent Court of Appeal decision[1].

Contracts and company articles of association often refer share valuation issues to an independent expert accountant. Similar forms of clause are used to settle the accounts of a business, and in property documents to refer valuations or rent reviews to an independent surveyor. The usual form of clause says that an independent expert is to be agreed or, if not agreed, chosen by the President of the Institute.

In this case the court held that both parties have to agree not only to the selection of the expert, but also to all the terms of the appointment, even if he is chosen by the President. So by withholding agreement to the engagement letter, a party could bring the whole process to a halt. The court said the process should be “formal and precise” and, in litigation that had already lasted four years, would only help by declaring that the parties could not unreasonably withhold consent. This case potentially gives the whip hand to the truculent and unreasonable.

I have devised wording to avid the effects of this case and keep disputes out of court. Anyone who might need to rely on an independent expert clause should have it reviewed before a dispute arises.

Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs, also confidentiality agreements or secrecy agreements) are used in a number of commercial contexts, from deal negotiations to technology sharing. But are they worth the paper they are written on? It is sometimes said that the cost of enforcement makes them useless, at least to small businesses.

There are benefits in having an NDA even if you are not likely to sue on it. Foremost is deterrence, and making the other party more aware of the need to respect confidentiality. The biggest downside, in my view, is not cost but evidence, as it's very difficult to prove a breach and even harder to show loss justifying substantial damages. Injunctions aren't much good if the information has already been disclosed (though they can restrain other abuses). I often advise clients not to disclose their "crown jewels" information even if they have an NDA in place.

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[1] Cream Holdings Ltd v Davenport [2011] EWCA Civ 1287

This article in shorter form was originally written for the
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