Book excerpt: Just as a Board of Directors is a governance structure for shareholders, a Family Council oversees a family on everything from educating the family for their future responsibilities as owners to settling disputes within the family. Using the common term family council to refer to family governance, the book will be a practical manual for all business families seeking structure to manage how their family governs itself and relates to their business. The book will answer several basic questions: 1. What are the forms of structured family governance? 2. What purpose is served, and disasters avoided, by using structure like a family council? 3. How does one select the form of family council that is appropriate for the size, age and complexity of the business family? 4. How are family councils established and maintained, and how do they evolve?