An exhaustive commentary.

The Director's Handbook, first published in 2005, filled a gap in the market by providing a practical guide to key issues facing board directors and senior business decision-makers in the UK. Now, with far-reaching changes in directors' duties and other principles of company law, this new edition updates and explains the laws which affect the way every director does their job. It deals with all aspects of a company director's role, duties, responsibilities and liabilities within the context of the current law and good practice. Written by leading experts and fully supported by research findings, this 3rd edition also contains case studies from companies of varying sizes and sectors, plus new chapters on the role of the company secretary plus the latest legal developments in the health and safety arena. The Director's Handbook is the essential reference and source of advice for all new and existing directors, as well as those who aspire to this position.

This book provides practitioners and students with a full treatment of one of the most important and complex aspects of company law, directors' powers and duties. Of all the areas of company law, directors' powers and duties is among the least accessible from the statute (i.e. Companies Act 1993). Behind the statute, is a long and very complex history of equitable and common law case law, most of which remains applicable in New Zealand. This book also contains short summaries of leading cases which is very useful both for students and practitioners.

ÔThis book takes us back to the financial crisis and asks: should the directors of the financial institutions that caused the crisis be held responsible to their investors? LoughreyÕs and her contributorsÕ analysis of that question and the suggestions to implement their proposals are insightful and timely. This is a must-read book for those of us who are still trying to determine how to avoid the next financial crisis.Õ Ð Randall Thomas, Vanderbilt Law School, US The financial crisis revealed failings at board level at many financial institutions. But despite calls for bank boards to be held to account, there has been a remarkable paucity of litigation against bank directors for breach of their duties. This book assesses whether the law relating to directorsÕ duties and shareholder litigation has contributed to this, taking into account the changes to both that were introduced by the Companies Act 2006. With contributions from leading academics and practitioners, the book examines the directorÕs duty of care and skill, the s.172 duty, reporting obligations under s.417 of the Companies Act 2006, and shareholder litigation including the derivative action and just and equitable winding up. It concludes that neither the common law nor the statutory duties and derivative action under the Companies Act 2006 function effectively to hold directors to account and analyses why this is so. This detailed book will appeal to academics in company law and corporate governance as well as commercial law practitioners particularly those who specialize in company litigation.

The second edition of this leading work on company directors has been expanded to cover new areas such as tax and provides even greater analysis on dynamic areas including derivative claims, unfair prejudice litigation, and corruption under the Bribery Act 2010.