Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Ownership definition

What does Ownership mean? In legal practice, ownership describes who has the bundle of rights over property: to possess, use, enjoy income, exclude others, transfer, or charge it, subject to law and third‑party rights (such as easements/servitudes, leases and security interests). It is a descriptive expression used across contexts (land, goods, shares, intellectual property), rather than a single statutory definition, though related concepts are defined in legislation and case law (for example, beneficial ownership in anti‑money laundering/PSC regimes and land registration rules). Across England & Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland, lawyers commonly distinguish legal ownership (title shown on a register, deed or share register) from...

Disposals to Employee Ownership Trusts: UK legal, tax and transactional guidance on structure, funding, valuation, governance, risks, HMRC clearances and disqualifying events, including changes in Finance Acts 2025 and 2026.

Published by a LexisNexis Share Incentives expert

Practice notes

What is an employee Ownership trust

An employee ownership trust (EOT) is a distinct form of employee benefit trust (EBT) that must satisfy defined statutory conditions. EOTs were brought in by the Finance Act 2014, alongside particular tax advantages made available both to companies owned by an EOT and to individuals who transfer Shares to an EOT. Where the strict legal requirements are not met in relation to the EOT, those tax reliefs will not apply. These statutory thresholds and conditions are central to qualification for any associated tax reliefs available under EOTs. For more information on EOTs and the legislative tests they are required to meet, see Practice Note: Employee ownership trusts. For guidance on pitfalls and frequent errors to watch for when establishing and running an EOT, see Practice Note: Pitfalls of setting up and operating an employee-ownership trust. EOTs can provide a robust route for Succession planning and a substitute for more conventional exit options, including a third-party trade sale, or a management or Private equity-backed buy-out. However, although the potential tax reliefs available to individuals who dispose of a controlling interest to an EOT can be highly attractive, moving to an EOT structure can be a...

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Karen Cooper

Cooper Cavendish

Karen is an experienced employee benefits lawyer with more than 20 years’ experience in advising companies of all sizes in relation to their employee benefit and remuneration issues. She trained and worked for leading law firms Baker McKenzie LLP and Linklaters LLP and spent three years as a remuneration consultant at Ernst & Young LLP. Prior to co-founding Cooper Cavendish, Karen headed up Osborne Clarke LLP's employee benefit practice for 15 years.Karen is a thought-leader and regularly speaks and presents at industry conferences and events. She is a member of the Small Quoted Companies Alliance Share Scheme Committee and the Share Plan Lawyers Organisation.Karen is also the author of a wide range of legal publications including the chapter on executive remuneration in Sweet & Maxwell’s ‘Corporate Governance’, the chapter on employee share schemes in Jordan’s Company...

Ben Watson

TLT

Ben is Head of Employee Incentives at TLT. He specialises in all aspects of employee incentives and employee ownership and is an expert on all associated legal and tax matters. Ben has been advising companies and management on share scheme matters for more than twenty years. He has implemented arrangements for all types of companies, from start up to FTSE 100 and has led the advice on some of the UK’s largest and most recognised share plan and employee ownership matters. He has a wide understanding of the market and of the associated corporate governance issues. He is independently recognised as a leading individual nationally for employee share scheme matters and is ranked in Band 1 UK-wide for employee ownership matters, with clients describing him as “an expert in his field” and “very patient in explaining the legal jargon”....

Douglas Roberts

TLT

Douglas has over 23 years’ experience of advising on corporate legal matters including M&A, equity investments and corporate advisory work across a broad spectrum of clients, including SMEs, family businesses and start-ups. His general corporate experience spans a broad spectrum of sectors, including healthcare, technology, finance, retail, hospitality, engineering, energy supply and property.Douglas is recognised as one of Scotland’s leading solicitors on employee ownership, having assisted with more than 35 transitions to employee ownership. He has also acted for Capital for Colleagues plc regarding investments in employee owned companies.Further Douglas has developed a specialisation in sports law, acting for a number of sports clubs, governing bodies and individuals. He successfully represented clients in one of the highest profile sports law disputes in Scotland this century. Douglas worked in-house at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games regarding sponsorship,...

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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