Employment-Related Contracts |
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We regularly counsel and represent individuals in all aspects of their employment relationships — from hiring to separation. An employee may be asked to sign a variety of contracts or agreements by his or her employer, and these contracts can sometimes be very difficult to navigate without the assistance of an employment attorney. Moreover, many contracts can dramatically affect the current or future compensation given to an employee or an employee's future ability to earn a living.
Furthermore, employment-related contract issues arise when employers engage in breach of contract by taking adverse actions against their employees in violation of mandatory provisions of an employee handbook or other employee policies. An employer may also fail to honor promises that an employee justifiably relied in accepting a particular position or upon completion of agreed-upon duties. While, generally speaking, employment is considered to be "at will," an employee may demonstrate that the employer's right to terminate an employee is limited by a contract specifying the length of employment or an "implied contract" which specifies that employment will be terminated only "for cause" or for enumerated disciplinary reasons.
The services of a skilled and experienced negotiator can often make a tremendous difference in increasing the compensation and benefits of an employee or minimizing the concessions an employee must make both at the time of accepting a position and at the time a position is terminated.
We advise and represent individuals and negotiate with employers with respect to the full-range of employment-related contracts, including:
- Non-competition agreements;
- Non-solicitation agreements;
- Confidentiality agreements;
- Executive employment agreements;
- Deferred compensation agreements;
- Severance agreements;
- Employment and benefits contracts;
- Stock-option agreements; and
- Mandatory arbitration agreements.
We also work with our clients to trouble-shoot and obtain timely corrective action when problems arise in the employment relationship or when legal intervention is required.
Our substantial litigation experience assures our clients effective representation in the event of formal disputes. We regularly assist clients with:
- Complex terminations, especially involving executives;
- Reductions in force and reorganizations; and
- Early retirement programs.
