Table A in

UK company law The United Kingdom company law regulates corporations formed under the Companies Act 2006. Also governed by the Insolvency Act 1986, the UK Corporate Governance Code, European Union Directives and court cases, the company is the primary lega ...

is the old name for the Model Articles or default form of

articles of association In corporate governance, a company's articles of association (AoA, called articles of incorporation in some jurisdictions) is a document which, along with the memorandum of association (in cases where it exists) form the company's constituti ...

for companies limited by shares incorporated either in England and Wales or in Scotland before 1 October 2009 where the incorporators do not explicitly choose to use a modified form. Table A was first introduced by the

Joint Stock Companies Act 1856 The Joint Stock Companies Act 1856 (19 & 20 Vict c 47) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a consolidating statute, recognised as the founding piece of modern United Kingdom company law legislation. Overview Unlike other ...

(as 'Table B'), and then under its current name of 'Table A' by the

Companies Act 1862 The Companies Act 1862 (25 & 26 Vict. c.89) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom regulating UK company law, whose descendant is the Companies Act 2006. Provisions *s 6 'Any seven or more persons associated for any lawful purpose may ...

. The existing form of Table A was introduced in 1985 by the

subsidiary legislation Primary legislation and secondary legislation (the latter also called delegated legislation or subordinate legislation) are two forms of law, created respectively by the legislative and executive branches of governments in representative democ ...

passed under the

Companies Act 1985 The Companies Act 1985 (c. 6) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, enacted in 1985, which enabled companies to be formed by registration, and set out the responsibilities of companies, their ...

, although it has been updated on several occasions since its introduction. Although Table A is the most frequently referred to, relating to generic companies limited by shares (the most common form), there are also pro forma constitutional documents for companies limited by guarantee without a share capital (Table C) and unlimited liability companies with a share capital (Table E). One advantage of having standard form constitutional documents for the bulk of companies formed within a jurisdiction is that a substantial body of case law has arisen in relation to the forms, which assists legal practitioners when preparing more bespoke forms of constitutional documents for businesses. Table A has been replaced for new companies by the simplified and modernised

Companies Act 2006 The Companies Act 2006 (c 46) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which forms the primary source of UK company law. The Act was brought into force in stages, with the final provision being commenced on 1 October 2009. It largel ...

Model Articles which came into force on 1 October 2009. However, it still remains valid for Companies incorporated under the

in the form it existed at the time of incorporation of the company. For example, Article 50 regarding the Chairman's casting vote was removed from Table A in 2007. However, if this right existed in a Company's articles due to incorporation before this date it remains valid.Sch 3 para 23A Companies Act 2006 (Commencement No. 3, Consequential Amendments, Transitional Provisions and Savings) Order 2007/2194 (see sch 5 para 2(5) Companies Act 2006 (Commencement No. 5, Transitional Provisions and Savings) Order 2007/3495)

References

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External links

Table A under the Companies Act 1862Table A for Private Companies
(as amended up to October 2007)
Table A for Public Companies
(as amended up to October 2007)
Table C
(as amended up to October 2007) United Kingdom company law