Employment contracts can control the beginning – and end – of an employment relationship. When a company first hires you, they might ask you to sign a stack of agreements. These agreements can impact not only your compensation, but also how and when the company can fire you and even what you can do after you leave the company. These documents can affect your career and income for years. You should fully understand any employment agreement before signing it and maybe even consider negotiating a better deal.
Lisa and her colleagues can provide advice and counseling on the following:
- Employment contracts
- Executive employment agreements
- Non-competition agreements
- Non-solicitation agreements
- Non-disclosure agreements
- Severance & separation agreements
- Mandatory arbitration
Oftentimes employment agreements contain covenants not to compete which restrict your employment options upon separation. A poorly drafted non-competition clause might be overbroad or reach further than the law allows – and stop you from working. And an overzealous company may accuse you of breaching a non-compete clause when, in fact, you haven’t.
Successful separation negotiations aren’t just about severance pay. Although we always want to maximize the amount of severance pay, a good separation agreement can impact your future and give you other value too. We can enhance your future employability by limiting disparaging information that the employer or its managers may be prepared to tell perspective employers. When negotiating, we consider how we can script the optics of your departure from the company, address how your departure will be announced, and resolve concerns about confidentiality.
A well-negotiated separation agreement can lead to extended benefits, such as health insurance, life insurance, extended time “on the rolls” while looking for a job, unemployment compensation, positive references, a clean record, attorney fees, and clear answers on how to answer sticky questions when applying for a license or seeking a security clearance.
Whether you are starting an employment relationship or ending one, if you want to know your options and get solid legal advice, contact Lisa for for an initial consultation.