When it comes to physician contracts, two things are certain: 1. There are a lot of details to cover, and 2. They’re all relevant.
Reviewing and negotiating your employment contract is one of the last hurdles before taking the next step in your career and starting your new position. During this leg of your journey, you might be wondering if it’s worth it to have your contract reviewed by an attorney (spoiler alert: It is!).
Here are five ways a contract attorney can help:
They’re experts of detail
Becoming a physician or advanced practitioner takes a lot of training, but your medical training doesn’t necessarily prepare you to approach a complex, legally binding document. That’s where your contract attorney comes in.
Attorneys are masters of combing the fine print. Their assistance and expertise can help you avoid overlooking seemingly minor details that impact your entire employee experience – or even the outlook of your career. They can also make sense of the technical language used in your contract to avoid any confusion or potential misunderstandings.
They make negotiation easier
Do you know which aspects of a contract are flexible and which are set in stone? Your contract attorney will be able to help.
For starters, they can identify the most worthwhile aspects of your contract to address and negotiate to make better use of your time and improve your chances of getting what you want. They’re also in your corner to help you navigate the negotiation process and outline a more successful strategy, and some will even negotiate on your behalf.
They see what’s often overlooked
It can be easy to forget that reviewing a contract isn’t just about picking through the document in front of you, but it’s also about identifying any information that may not have been covered.
Contract attorneys will be able to quickly spot any crucial components that have been left out of your contract and outline the proper adjustments. This will help ensure you’ve covered all your bases and minimize any chance of there being an unforeseen circumstance that hasn’t been mentioned or considered before it arises.
They can help you avoid risks and pitfalls
An attorney’s assistance reviewing your contract can also ensure you sidestep potentially expensive conflicts.
Not only can they anticipate issues that could potentially come up later, but they can also help adjust your contract’s details to offer you better protections and outcomes if there are malpractice, termination or noncomplete disputes.
They can save you money
It may sound counter-intuitive to spend money in order save but utilizing the assistance of an attorney is worthwhile. Although hiring one to review your contract can cost you anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars – depending on the attorney, firm and other factors –it’s an investment that adds value to your contract.
According to LegalZoom, “an attorney can offer advice on typical contract terms or write a business contract that pushes the boundaries in your favor — potentially saving you thousands of dollars.” Whether it’s more time off, higher salary, boosting your benefits or other additions, their assistance can make all the difference.
September 7, 2021
