The Company Secretary's Desktop Guide

Overview

KEEP ON TOP OF ALL THE CHANGES AND ENSURE YOU COMPLY WITH THE LAW

The new 6th edition of The Company Secretary’s Desktop Guide is the most important edition within its series as it reflects the changes made to the law from the most significant Act passed in recent years.

Even before the new Act, Directors faced a minefield of obligations and liabilities – these have now become more numerous and complex. It has become compulsory for all Directors to acknowledge the changes made to the law that significantly affect the liabilities of company secretaries.

The Companies Act 2006 has been implemented and can be found in the statute book. This new edition provides accessible, expert guidance for professionals on every aspect of the company secretary’s role, clearly explaining the significance of the new provisions of the Act and ending each chapter with a valuable summary of those changes.

Its detailed Contents section is designed to help you treat this guide as a menu, providing easy access to advice and solutions to particular problems. Packed with checklists, hints and tips, techniques and warnings, this guide is indispensable. It ends with a set of valuable Appendices including a full list of Companies House forms and the new Table A and Table C.

Content

Content Overview

1 The position of the company secretary
2 Directors – appointment, restrictions, responsibilities
3 The statutory registers and the company seal
4 Accounts – content, standards, auditor’s report
5 Dividends and interest payments
6 Share capital and shareholders
7 The issue of shares and the reduction of share capital
8 Debentures and loan stock
9 The Memorandum of Association
10 Articles of Association
11 General meetings
12 Board meetings
13 Transfer and transmission of shares
14 Receivership and administration
15 Winding up companies
16 The annual return
17 Dealing with Companies House and Companies House forms
18 Proposed contents of the expected Company Law Reform Bill

Appendices

• Table A to the Companies Act: Regulations for a company limited by shares
• Table C to the Companies Act: Regulations for a company limited by guarantee and not having share capital
• Companies House details and guidance booklets
• Examples of completed Companies House forms
• Full list of Companies House forms
• Company statistics

Completely new sections on:

- Substantial property transactions

• Indemnity and insurance
• Accounting standards
• Restoration to the register
• Electronic filing

New content on:

- Web filing at Companies House

• New limits for the compulsory statutory audit
• New definitions for small and medium-sized companies
• Changes made by the Companies Act 2006

A new chapter explaining all the proposed changes in the Companies Law Reform Bill – they are all likely to become law and will have a massive effect on company secretaries’ duties and obligations. Be forewarned.

The author

Roger Mason is a Chartered Secretary and a Chartered Certified Accountant, and a very experienced finance director and company secretary. His career has included periods with the Ford Motor Company and ITC Entertainment Ltd, as well as 14 years as Financial Director and Company Secretary of a leading greetings card company.

Roger now presents seminars on company law, the duties of directors, the duties of company secretaries and on financial topics. He has written 16 books. His books for Thorogood include The Company Secretary’s Desktop Guide (now in its fifth edition), 501 Questions and Answers for Company Directors and Company Secretaries (now in its second edition) and The Complete Guide to Debt Recovery.