Medical Employment Contract Review for Veterinarians
Client-Focused Lawyer Conducts Detailed Medical Employment Contract Review for Veterinarians Nationwide
When a veterinarian accepts a new position with a hospital or clinic or private practice, they are likely to be presented with an employment contract that spells out the terms and conditions of the employment relationship. Veterinarians who work hard to gain the education and experience for their profession deserve to protect their career with a well-drafted employment agreement. For that reason, you should seek out legal services that provide medical employment contract review for veterinarians.
For over a decade, Chelle Law has worked tirelessly to help medical professionals with their career needs, including review of proposed employment contracts. We believe that the benefits of a detailed legal contract review are much greater than the expense of fees to hire legal representation. When you hire our firm after being offered a new position, you’ll have the experience and knowledge of founder and CEO, Robert Chelle, who has extensive prior work with practice groups and some of the most well-respected healthcare providers in the country.
If you are a veterinarian joining a new practice, turn to Chelle Law for experienced legal help in performing a medical employment contract review. Reach out to us today for an initial case evaluation to learn more about how we can assist in your employment agreement negotiations.
Terms to Review in Veterinarian Employment Agreements
Many veterinarians join a clinic/hospital or a private practice pursuant to an employment contract. Having a written employment agreement can avoid any confusion or dispute over the rights and responsibilities of the parties. When a veterinarian employment agreement is drafted by an employer’s legal counsel, the veterinarian should also seek the assistance of an attorney to understand the terms of the agreement and negotiate those terms that are most important to the veterinarian.
At Chelle Law, an attorney will take the time with you to go over critical employment contract terms such as:
- Clinical duties, work schedule, and on-call obligations
- Work locations or facilities where you may practice
- Rights to engage in other professional opportunities, including independently practicing veterinary medicine or assuming an instructorship or professorship
- Base compensation, including salary, pay frequency, and annual increases/COLAs
- Additional compensation, such as performance/production bonuses or profit-share, and how such compensation is calculated
- Benefits, including health/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, paid time off, and retirement benefits such as pensions or 401Ks
- Additional employment benefits like signing bonuses, relocation assistance, or reimbursement of board licensing fees, association dues, or continuing education expenses
- Liability insurance coverage, including whether coverage is offered by the employer and whether tail insurance is included
- Management rights when joining a private practice as a partner
- Term of the agreement, including requirements to renew or extend the agreement or provisions for automatic renewal
- Whether employment may be terminated at will or the employer must have grounds for termination, as well as what notice is required for either party to terminate the employment relationship
- Whether the employment agreement may be assigned and what the veterinarian’s rights are in the event the clinic or practice is sold to another party
- Non-compete, non-solicitation, and confidentiality provisions
- Arbitration, grievance, and other alternative dispute resolution provisions
Why Choose Chelle Law to Review Your Medical Employment Contract?
Before you start a new position with a veterinary clinic or hospital or private veterinary practice, you will likely be presented with an employment contract. An employment agreement can help ensure that you are paid fair market value for your skills and that your interests are protected. But having the terms of a proposed employment contract reviewed by an experienced attorney is important to ensure you understand how the contract will affect your employment relationship.
Veterinarians and medical professionals turn to Chelle Law for medical employment contract review because:
- We are available to review contracts for veterinarians in any state
- We offer flat-rate pricing with no hidden costs so that you understand expenses upfront
- Your employment contract will be thoroughly reviewed by a skilled lawyer from our legal team
- You will have the benefit of a phone consultation with Attorney Robert Chelle to go over your contract term by term
- We help you through employment contract negotiations by following up with clarifications or revisions that may be needed for your proposed employment agreement
Don’t leave things to chance when starting a new job. Let Chelle Law help you with a detailed employment contract review.
Reach Out to Our Firm for a Consultation to Learn More about How We Can Help
Don’t leave things to chance when starting a new veterinarian position. Contact Chelle Law today for an initial consultation to learn more about your legal options in employment negotiations. Our firm can ensure you fully understand the terms of your medical employment contract so that you can begin your new job with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions about Medical Employment Contract Review for Veterinarians
When you are joining a new veterinarian practice, especially if you are joining as a partner in the practice, you will want to ask to see a copy of the practice’s bylaws or partnership/operating agreement to ensure that the terms governing how the practice is operated do not conflict with any provisions of your employment contract.
In most states, non-compete clauses can be validly included in employment contracts for veterinarians, subject to certain limitations. These include making sure that the non-compete is not broader than is needed to protect an employer’s reasonable or legitimate interests or that the non-compete does not impose an undue hardship on the employee by completely preventing them from earning a living. Non-competes are more often upheld when they are accompanied by a buyout or other payment when a veterinarian leaves their employer or practice. Courts may also consider the public interest in deciding whether to uphold a non-compete.