The Pawffice: 3 Reasons Why You Need an Attorney to Review Your Employment Agreements
Working in an employment law firm is stressful for anyone, but especially a dog. All I want is to sit in front of clients and get pets. But sometimes, the humans I work with don’t want me to try to get attention! Why? I demand attention literally all the time. It turns out that some clients don’t want to see me because they are stressed about their employment agreements. The audacity! Some of these clients didn’t get their employment agreements reviewed by our attorneys ahead of time, so now they are in trouble like me when I eat my owner’s dinner before he notices.
As Chief Canine Officer, I’ve come up with 3 reasons why it’s so important for one of our attorneys to review your employment agreements right here! I felt it was my duty as CCO to put this together for you, and I’m so tired of staying in my office when I could be making new friends.
They Are Using Legal Experts, and So Should You
I may not be a lawyer, but Alan Crone is! He knows everything about how a good employment agreement should be drafted, but people are sometimes nervous about calling an attorney. Don’t be! He’s so nice! He lets me have bacon when my owner isn’t looking.
Even though he’s super nice, he also knows his stuff, and the other side knows their stuff too! If you are signing something that legal experts drafted, then you need to have a legal expert of your own look through it. That’s like me going to the park and not sniffing literally everything I can see. I need to know what is mine, could be mine, and what is another dog’s.
You need to know:
- the outline of your job
- what could happen if you leave
- how much you’re getting paid
- your payment structure
- any important timelines you have to hit
And that’s just scratching the surface! You need to make sure someone with the knowledge is looking out for you! Because the next reason you need an attorney reviewing your employment agreements is…
Your Protection
There are a lot of different ways that an employment agreement could not be in your favor. A big one is non-compete agreements. Non-compete agreements are ways to ensure that you don’t start a competing company or take clients with you if you decide to leave.
When you first get hired by a company, you have no plans to leave, but those plans change. Just like when I’m ready to take a nap, but I hear my owner putting on his shoes. That means there is a chance for outside or car, and I’m always taking that chance. There could be an incredible chance for you to take another job or start a company, but sometimes you can’t even take it with a non-compete agreement. You need to have a solid level of protection before signing that agreement.
Negotiation Strategies
People come to us with employment agreements and want to know what their options are. They have either signed them already or just got them. They aren’t sure what their next steps are and want help. Our attorneys can develop strategies for them to take back to their employers.
These strategies can include:
- Exit strategies
- Trying to get more money up front
- How to start a lawsuit to get out of a non-compete clause
These usually end in negotiations between the employer and our attorneys. Our attorneys can negotiate with you and your employer to try to solve your problem.
I’ve taught them everything I know. I’m an excellent negotiator. I found out that if I shake a human’s hand, I get a treat like most of the time. Sometimes I try to shake their hand when they don’t even ask me, and I accidentally smack them in the face. Does that result in a treat? Not always, but it makes them laugh and pet me. Easy win every time.
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