Dental practices rely on dental contracts daily, ranging from employment contracts to real estate leases. Working with an attorney can help. Your dental contracts will help you protect your business and assets as a dental practice. A dental contracts attorney can help you draft or review dental contracts and identify areas that can be improved. Before you sign a dental contract, it’s wise to consult with a dental contract attorney.
Discuss Your Case With a Dental Contracts Attorney
At Mahan Dental Law, our attorneys have extensive experience handling a wide range of dental contract matters. In addition to drafting dental contracts, our attorneys can also draft them. Whether you are a dentist or own a dental practice, our law firm can help you draft, review, and negotiate dental contracts. Contact a dental contract attorney today to schedule your initial consultation.
Common Types of Dental Contracts
Employment contracts are among the most commonly used contracts in the dental industry, but they aren’t the only types. At Mahan Dental Law, we focus our practice on representing dentists and dental practices in many different types of issues, including drafting, reviewing, and negotiating the following types of dental contracts:
- Employment contracts
- Partnership agreements
- Shareholder agreements
- Associate buy-in agreements
- Practice purchase agreements
- Asset purchase agreements
- Equipment leases
- Commercial real estate leases
- Business associate agreements
- Insurance contracts
- Liability waivers
- Patient consent forms
- Employee handbooks
Dental Practice Lease Agreements
A lease agreement is one of the most important contracts a dental practice owner will ever sign. For most dental practices, rent is one of the most significant business expenses. Making an educated decision regarding your dental lease can help you get the best possible deal. Many dental practice owners don’t carefully review their lease agreement before signing it, despite the significant impact a lease can have on a dental practice. Dental practice owners may not realize the terms of the lease agreement until an issue has come up and it’s too late to change the terms of the lease agreement.
Negotiating Your Dental Lease Agreement
One of the attorneys at Mahan Dental Law can review your lease agreement and negotiate the terms of your agreement. The initial lease form you’re presented isn’t negotiable. Most leases can be adjusted and modified. We recommend avoiding accepting the first lease agreement until you work with an attorney to review the contract. One of our attorneys can also help you understand the type of lease you’ll be agreeing to and advise you as to whether you should accept a different type of lease. An attorney can help you negotiate a dental lease agreement that protects your interests and rights.
Dental Employment Contracts
Dental employment contracts outline the duties and responsibilities of a dental associate and the dental practice. A well-drafted dental employment contract should outline all of the terms of employment, including salary, working hours, benefits, and more. The contract should also outline the roles and duties of the employment, the employment benefits, and how disputes should be resolved between the employer and the associate dentist. If you’ve been offered a contract, one of our attorneys can review it and advise you of any red flags that need to be negotiated and changed.
Partnership Agreements
If you are considering starting a dental practice, you will need to sign several important contracts. Most dental practice owners will need to pursue financing. An attorney can help you review your financing options before you sign a financing agreement. When starting a dental practice, you’ll need to select a legal business structure, such as an LLC or partnership.
Many dental practices will begin as a partnership between two or more dentists. An important part of establishing a dental partnership is to draft and sign a partnership agreement. A partnership is a separate legal entity, capable of acquiring property, entering into contracts, and suing or being sued.
Management Rights in Dental Contracts
If you’re forming a dental partnership, you’ll need to decide on management rights. Perhaps you’d like all dentists to have equal management rights, or you may want junior dentists to avoid having equal management rights. Whatever you decide, your partnership agreement needs to specify who is authorized to make which decisions and how the decision-making authority is delegated.
Contracts Addressing Exit Issues for Dental Contracts
Partnership agreements should address the potential admission of new partners. The contract should also address what will happen when one or more partners exist in the partnership. The contract should state which events can be grounds for dissociation and whether the partner who exists in the partnership must pay liquidated damages to the partnership. It’s wise to include a buy-out formula that applies when a partner chooses to exit the partnership. Doing so will allow other partners to buy out the existing partner’s ownership in the partnership. Addressing exit issues upfront in the partnership agreement can help you avoid costly litigation in the future.
Contracts for Dental Practice Transitions
If you are acquiring a dental practice, it’s important that you negotiate and review all of the contracts related to the sale of the business. Mahan Dental Law has extensive experience representing clients in dental practice transition planning, valuations, sales, and more. We understand that selling a dental practice or acquiring a dental practice can be a complex process. We will represent you and negotiate on your behalf throughout the entire process.
Our attorneys will ensure the sales agreement includes beneficial provisions and protect your interests and assets. A well-drafted sales agreement will also include provisions to protect you from potential liability. We can ensure that the contract includes provisions related to what the parties should do if any disputes arise.
Contact a Dental Contract Attorney Today
When an attorney drafts, reviews, and negotiates contracts, the financial benefits frequently outweigh the legal costs associated with contract review. The attorneys at Mahan Dental Law have extensive experience representing clients in a wide range of contract-related matters. Contact Mahan Dental Law today to learn more about our dental contract services.
