Book Review Guide to Company Directors by LVV Iyer Lexis Nexis Third Edition 2011

Guide to Company Directors by L.V.V. Iyer provides a comprehensive portrayal of the law relating to the Director’s role in the functioning of a Company. The title speaks for itself and it is only fair to state that the book accomplished its role as described in the title..By Cyriac Tom.Guide to Company Directors by L.V.V. Iyer provides a comprehensive portrayal of the law relating to the Director’s role in the functioning of a Company. The title speaks for itself and it is only fair to state that the book accomplished its role as described in the title..L.V.V. Iyer is a well-established and known legal professional in the corporate world. Apart from being a former member of the expert committee on Company Affairs, ASSOCHAM as well as a part of the expert committee on Company Law, Madras Chamber of Commerce & Industry; he is also a regular columnist in SEBI and Corporate Laws, a leading fortnightly corporate law journal. Mr. Iyer’s expertise in the field has been well utilised while drafting the book..Before describing the arrangement and explanation on the general structure and content of the book, it is worth a mention at this juncture, that the book in its effort to comprise the law relating to Directors in India strives to undertake a more fundamental role. It strives to be a forerunner in providing a disciplinary approach to the corporate governance in India. This particular object of the book is most intriguing, particularly since the corporate governance in the modern world has widely come under a scanner after the financial crisis that gripped the world and especially, in the case of India, after the Satyam scam..It may be in furtherance to this objective that the book has a specific section pertaining to managerial remuneration laws in India, which is quite worthy of note, especially when the facet of managerial remuneration is particularly under scrutiny for a certain period now..The book is structured in a phased manner of 16 parts and entails a detail account of the laws governing a Company’s Director..In its initial part, it introduces the reader to the concept of Director and different types of Directors under Company Law and further shifts the focus to their appointment and diverse aspects that should be considered throughout the Director’s tenure and concludes with their termination and extent of liability..The book essentially deals with most of the aspects in the Company Law and other related laws that a Director has to deal in the normal course of its business. The book provides justice to its title in the sense that it is dealt from the view point of the Director..It would have been highly unfair to the effort taken by the author if special mention and regard is not given to the appendix of the book, which has been quite captivating. The appendix of the book provides a handy set of notes for easy reference to the law regulating Company’s Directors, which can be valuable in able hands..Altogether the style, approach and knowledge value makes it a quintessential guide for the practitioner and a practitioner would be well–equipped by keeping a copy of the book in his/her library. It should also be brought to the attention of the reader that book deals with different practical aspects that comes into foray with regard to a Director and moreover it doesn’t restrict itself in stating the relevant law but also provides detailed guidelines on filling up of e-forms and filing applications electronically with Registrar of Companies, Regional Director & the Central Government and also contains specimen e-forms, resolutions, notices and practice notes ..The book is more of an exhaustive guide rather than an analysis of the existing legal framework with regard to the law relating Company’s Directors. Although the book will be definitely a practitioner’s guide; its help to an academician to bring out analysis of the laws, is doubted since it is devoid of any reasonable examination or scrutiny of the present legal regime or its effect. But the educational institutions will be well served to have a copy of the book, since it provides a student of law, a basic insight into the regulatory regime with regard to a Company’s Director..The hardbound edition of the book is priced at Rs 1695/-, which is quite reasonable considering the amount of detail and the diverse legal aspects it envelops..Cyriac Tom is an Associate at Mundkur Law Partners, Bangalore and an alumnus of National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Cochin.