Business law
Business organizations
Basic forms:
Sole proprietorship
Corporation
Partnership (General · Limited · LLP)
Cooperative
USA:
Business trust · LLC · LLLP Delaware corporation Nevada corporation
UK/Commonwealth:
Limited company (By shares · By guarantee) (Public · Proprietary)
Civil law countries:
AB · AG · ANS · A/S · GmbH
K.K. · N.V. · OY · S.A.
European Company Statute
Doctrines
Corporate governance
Limited liability · Ultra vires
Business judgment rule
De facto corporation and corporation by estoppel
Piercing the corporate veil
Related areas of law
Contract · Civil procedure

A limited company by shares (limited or Ltd.) in English law, many Commonwealth countries and the Republic of Ireland, is a type of limited company with liability limited to the capital invested, i.e. by the sale of shares. In other words the shareholder's personal assets are protected in the event of bankruptcy but they will lose the capital invested in their shares. Image File history File links Scale_of_justice. ... Commercial law or business law is the body of law which governs business and commerce and is often considered to be a branch of civil law and deals both with issues of private law and public law. ... Business organizations is an area of law that covers the broad array of rules governing the formation and operation of different kinds of entities by which individuals can organize to do business. ... A sole proprietorship is a business which legally has no separate existence from its owner. ... A corporation is a legal person which, while being composed of natural persons, exists completely separately from them. ... In the common law, a partnership is a type of business entity in which partners share with each other the profits or losses of the business undertaking in which they have all invested. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... A limited partnership is a form of partnership similar to a general partnership, except that in addition to one or more general partners (GPs), there are one or more limited partners (LPs). ... A limited liability partnership (LLP) is a form of business organization combining elements of partnerships and corporations. ... A cooperative (also co-operative or co-op) is a group of persons who join together or co-operate, to carry on an economic activity of mutual benefit. ... A Massachusetts business trust or MBT is a legal trust set up for the purposes of business in the state of Massachusetts. ... A limited liability company (denoted by L.L.C. or LLC in the US) is a legal form of business company in the United States offering limited liability to its owners. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A Delaware corporation is a corporation chartered in the state of Delaware in the United States. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Nevada. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Limited liability company. ... A Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) is a private company that does not have shareholders or share capital. ... The initials plc after a UK or Irish company name indicate that it is a public limited company, a type of limited company whose shares may be offered for sale to the pubic. ... A Proprietary limited company or abbreviated as under Australian law is a business structure that has at least one shareholder with a limited number of shares. ... Civil law is the predominant system of law in the world, with its origins in Roman law, and sets out a comprehensive system of rules, usually codified, that are applied and interpreted by judges. ... Aktiebolag is the Swedish term for a corporation, i. ... The German term Aktiengesellschaft (IPA /aktsiəngəzεlʃaft/) (abbreviated AG) means a corporation which is limited by shares, , owned by shareholders. ... An ansvarlig selskap is a Norwegian personal responsibility company model, mainly used in small-to-medium businesses, which translates directly into Responsible Company. This reflects that the participants - or owners - are personally responsible for any outstanding debts the company would aquire. ... An aksjeselskap is the Norwegian term for a stock-based corporation. ... Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH or GesmbH) is a type of legal entity created in Germany in 1892. ... Business corporation ) is a type of corporation ) defined under Japanese law. ... The term Naamloze Vennootschap (usually abbreviated NV) is the Dutch terminology for a public limited liability company. ... Osakeyhtiö, directly translated as share corporation, is the Finnish equivalent of Limited company (Ltd or LLC) or Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH). ... S.A. is the abbreviation of Société Anonyme in French, Spółka Akcyjna in Polish, Sociedad Anónima in Spanish, Sociedade Anónima in Portuguese, or Naamloze Venootschap (N.V.) in Dutch, generally designating corporations in various countries. ... The Council Regulation on the Statute for a European Company of the European Union (adopted October 8, 2001; OJ L 294, 10 November 2001, pp. ... Corporate governance is the set of processes, customs, policies, laws and institutions affecting the way a corporation is directed, administered or controlled. ... Limited liability (LL) is liability that is limited to a partner or investors investment. ... Ultra vires is a Latin phrase that literally means beyond the power. ... The business judgment rule is a case law-derived concept in Corporations law whereby a court will refuse to review the actions of a corporations board of directors in managing the corporation unless there is some allegation of conduct that (1) violates (a) the directors duty of care, (b... De facto corporation and corporation by estoppel are both terms that are used by courts to describe circumstances in which is a business organization that has failed to become a de jure corporation (a corporation by law) will nonetheless be treated as a corporation, thereby shielding shareholders from liability. ... The corporate law concept piercing (Lifting) the corporate veil describes a legal decision where an officer, director, or shareholder of a corporation is held liable for the debts of the corporation despite the general principle that those persons are immune from suits in contract or tort that otherwise would only... A contract is a promise or an agreement made of a set of promises. ... Civil procedure is the body of law that sets out the process that courts will follow when hearing cases of a civil nature (a civil action). These rules govern how a lawsuit or case may be commenced, what kind of service of process is required, the types of pleadings or... English law is a formal term of art that describes the law for the time being in force in England and Wales. ... The Commonwealth of Nations (CN), usually known as the Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states, the majority of which are former colonies of the United Kingdom. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Limited liability company. ...

Limited companies may be Private or Public. A private limited company's disclosure requirements are lighter, but for this reason its shares may not be offered to the general public (and therefore cannot be traded on a public exchange). This is the major distinguishing feature between a private limited company and a public limited company. Most companies are private. Disclosure means the giving out of information, either voluntarily or to be in compliance with legal regulations or workplace rules. ... The initials plc after a UK or Irish company name indicate that it is a public limited company, a type of limited company whose shares may be offered for sale to the pubic. ...

These companies are required to have the suffix "Limited" (often written "Ltd" or "Ltd.") or "Incorporated" ("Inc." - this cannot be used in the Republic of Ireland) as part of its name. In the Republic of Ireland "Teoranta" ("Teo") may be used instead, though this is limited mainly to Gaeltacht companies. "Cyfyngedig" ("Cyf") may be used by Welsh companies in a similar fashion. Companies must apply to the relevant registrar - Companies House in Great Britain, the Northern Ireland Registrar of Companies in Northern Ireland, or the Companies Registration Office, Ireland in the Republic of Ireland - to be formally incorporated as a company. In India, application needs to be done with Registrar of Companies. Gaeltacht, plural Gaeltachtaí, is an Irish word for an Irish-speaking region. ... Companies House is an Executive Agency of the United Kingdom Government Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). ... The Companies Registration Office (CRO) (Irish: An Oifig um Chlárú Cuideachtaí) registers and incorporates companies in the Republic of Ireland as well as filing their annual returns. ... The Registrar Of Companies for England & Wales is Mrs. ...

In the Republic of Ireland, a private limited company may have a maximum of fifty shareholders.

A company must have at least one director and a company secretary. They cannot be the same person. The company's Articles of Association may have more specific requirements however. Articles of Association are a requirement for the establishment of a company under United Kingdom and in most other countries company law. ...

See also

• Types of companies
• Companies House
• Companies Registration Office (Ireland)

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