Recent events in Italy affecting the Agnelli family, one of the country’s richest, have illustrated that even the best governance procedures may be found wanting in the face of opposition from aggrieved family members.

Margherita Agnelli de Pahlen, the surviving only child of Gianni Agnelli, a former family head, is currently attempting to contest the settlements negotiated in Geneva following the death of her father in 2003.

These effectively resulted in control of the ...