LawDebenture

Investment Trust Company Secretarial Services

Law Debenture is one of the UK’s largest providers of company secretarial services and corporate governance advice. We can provide you with a fully outsourced company secretarial solution, a tailored range of services that is adapted to your needs, or interim support should you have a temporary resource challenge. 

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Tried and tested expertise : What our clients say

"LawDeb’s Investment Trust Company Secretarial Services have proven invaluable to us since their appointment in February 2022. We benefit from up to date, detailed and high quality ‘business as usual’ work. This, coupled with the quality of their specialist advice and sharing their insights as to investment trust industry best practice, is a very powerful combination. We are confident that our corporate governance is enhanced through the practical advice and guidance we receive from the governance experts and company secretaries at Law Debenture giving us time and space to think ahead to future changes and how they may affect our business going forward. 
The VCT has recently changed its manager and during the often complex changeover of suppliers and dealing with a number of different advisers, LawDeb was first rate in their understanding of all the requirements and meeting tight deadlines. Having an independent CoSec to assist during the changeover period was invaluable to the board and the new manager."

Fiona Wollocombe, Chairman, Maven Renovar VCT plc

Breadth and depth : Discover our solutions for Investment Trusts

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To support your board and committees, we can:

  • Attend board and committee meetings (minute-taking & advisory)
  • Co-ordinate, produce and dispatch meeting agendas & board packs
  • Set up and maintain the corporate calendar, including reporting deadlines and meetings schedule
  • Act as a central point of contact for the Board, other service providers and shareholders
  • Advise on UK corporate governance and industry best practice
  • Review terms of reference to reflect current best practice
  • Manage PDMRs’ and Directors' dealing process and insider lists
  • Assist the company in complying with the UK Listing Rules, Disclosure, Guidance & Transparency Rules (DTRs) and Market Abuse Regulation
  • Act as your named company secretary & Provide a registered office at our London office address
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Annual report and accounts and half year report

We can provide full project management of the financial reporting and period end processes. We will work closely with your key stakeholders to:

  • Produce an annual or half yearly report timetable setting out key dates leading up to the release of the financial report to the market, the dividend timetable and the posting of the annual report to shareholders
  • Draft and review the non-financial elements of annual and half yearly reports. These include the corporate governance and Directors’ reports in accordance with best practice and in compliance with the Companies Act 2006; Listing Rules; DTRs; and AIC corporate governance code
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For Annual General Meetings (‘AGM’), we can:

  • Assist with AGM arrangements, working together with all relevant advisers
  • Prepare the notice of AGM
  • Draft and review proxy forms
  • Prepare the Chairman’s script and procedural questions and answers
  • Provide secretarial attendance at meetings, including minute-taking
  • Prepare draft minutes of meetings
  • Draft and file the relevant resolutions with Companies House
  • Draft and release the results of the AGM announcement 
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To ensure you statutory compliance we can:

  • Maintenance of company records on Diligent Entities database providing electronic reports/registers upon request
  • Production of the annual confirmation statement and filing with Companies House
  • File the Company’s annual report with Companies House
  • Ensure compliance with the Companies Act 2006, the continuing obligations of the FCA’s Listing Rules and DTRs
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Manging your regulatory announcements

We can take care of the drafting, co-ordination and release of regulatory announcements, in conjunction with other advisors as required. These include, but are not limited to, announcements relating to:
•    Half year results
•    Annual financial results
•    AGM related matters and results of general meeting
•    Director/PDMR dealings
•    Board changes
•    TR1 - Holdings in Company
•    Purchases by the company of its own shares
•    Monthly total voting rights announcements
•    Blocklisting announcements

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Our additional services

We can provide additional services as follows:

  • Interim/project support, including secondments
  • Bespoke board performance reviews, tailored for investment trusts and undertaken by investment trust specialist company secretaries
  • Director training on a range of topics, including: Directors’ Duties, Conflicts of Interest, Listing Rules and Disclosure, Guidance and Transparency Rules, Market Abuse, Diversity
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