Finding a lawyer to review/negotiate contracts

[nycfoodie93]

Hi all - My husband, a physician, is currently finishing up his one-year fellowship and beginning to look for jobs when he's done (FINALLY!!! ). I know the time will come for when he receives offers that involve a contract. We want to be as prepared as possible, so I'm looking for any recommendations for lawyers who "specialize" in this sort of thing; particularly, MD contracts. WCI recommended a company that's a paid advertiser for the site, so we're not as inclined to use them and would love recommendations from any other physicians on here that have had a great experience with someone.

 

Thanks in advance!

[LBKCLU]

If you email me, PM me or post your husband's specialty and where your husband is looking for jobs (the state if you want someone local), I can provide you with several recommendations.

I don't have any financial relationship with any of them but know that they will do a good job should you choose to use one of them.

Larry

[jpa]

nycfoodie93 wrote:

Hi all – My husband, a physician, is currently finishing up his one-year fellowship and beginning to look for jobs when he’s done (FINALLY!!! ). I know the time will come for when he receives offers that involve a contract. We want to be as prepared as possible, so I’m looking for any recommendations for lawyers who “specialize” in this sort of thing; particularly, MD contracts. WCI recommended a company that’s a paid advertiser for the site, so we’re not as inclined to use them and would love recommendations from any other physicians on here that have had a great experience with someone.

 

Thanks in advance!

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I must say---the fact that WCI endorsed them, even with being a paid advertiser, would cause me to WANT to use them. He's always been very forthcoming in his screening process for both who he endorses and whom he allows to be a paid advertiser.  Don't let that deter you--he is way more transparent than he would need to be to maintain my trust.

[ndayev6]

I am currently using Contract Diagnostics which is the company that is a paid advertiser on the site. I would highly recommend their services as they have been excellent. Avoiding them because they are a paid advertiser on this site makes little sense. Just my two cents.

[MrsIMDoc]

We had a good experience with Contact Diagnostics as well. I plan to use them again when I need to re-negotiate my contract.  I do not think there really is another company out there like it. You want someone with national experience so you can use that information when you try to negotiate.  Contract Diagnostics "gets" the WCI mindset and philosophy so I am glad we chose them.

[02Sats]

+3 for Contract Diagnostics.  I used them specifically because WCI endorsed them.  I know a colleague who used a lawyer for slightly less than I paid, and basically had no services performed.  I cannot recommend contract diagnostics enough.

[Bonez]

I have a contract that I would like reviewed but moreso for the non-compete clause than anything else. Would contract diagnostics be a good company for that? Or would an attorney with experience in LOCAL case law be better suited?

[Craigy]

Bonez wrote:

I have a contract that I would like reviewed but moreso for the non-compete clause than anything else. Would contract diagnostics be a good company for that? Or would an attorney with experience in LOCAL case law be better suited?

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A local attorney is far better suited to this.

Laws on non-competition and exclusivity agreements widely vary state to state and situation to situation.

If you can, try to ask around for colleagues, attorney friends, etc. on whom they would recommend for that.  You'll find a local specialist who will help you out.

[potatoducks]

As a dissenting opinion, I also used Contract Diagnostics and was not happy at all with what I got for my money. The contract review itself was okay, but we had them also handle negotiations and I felt like this was a total failure. The main sticking point was base salary and we got nowhere with this (which isn't necessarily their fault). However, throughout the process, the guy who was supposed to be on our side kept talking about how great and nice the other party was, etc (the other party was fairly charismatic). It felt like they were having casual talks instead of strongly negotiating on our behalf. Basically, we were not happy at all with how negotiations were going and I don't think that got represented well to the opposing party. In the end, we went with another group.

[Craigy]

potatoducks wrote:

As a dissenting opinion, I also used Contract Diagnostics and was not happy at all with what I got for my money. The contract review itself was okay, but we had them also handle negotiations and I felt like this was a total failure. The main sticking point was base salary and we got nowhere with this (which isn’t necessarily their fault). However, throughout the process, the guy who was supposed to be on our side kept talking about how great and nice the other party was, etc (the other party was fairly charismatic). It felt like they were having casual talks instead of strongly negotiating on our behalf. Basically, we were not happy at all with how negotiations were going and I don’t think that got represented well to the opposing party. In the end, we went with another group.

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Interesting to hear, thanks for sharing!

[nomindforfinance]

My partner used Contract Diagnostics - they were fine for what we needed - but they are NOT attorneys, so while they understand what you should be getting financially, I'm not totally convinced they understand all the fine print that could harm you more in the long run.  Our contact had a definite list of what SHOULD be in the contract as far as compensation, insurance, etc., and what he should be asking for and suggested ways to ask for it, but when it came to some of the contract termination clauses, things were more vague.

[Craigy]

With the price you pay for contract diagnostics, a good attorney could give you real legal advice.

[doclude]

In the Northeast, i have used Jennifer Kirschenbaum. she was fairly priced, and appropriate in negotiations. of course she is not a paid supporter here so I don't want to seem like i am promoting anyone and i don't have any connections financially to her other than my past dealings for myself.

https://www.kirschenbaumesq.com/page/jennifer-kirschenbaum

[HandFellow]

http://www.lauthoneill.com/

We used Leigh Ann from Lauth O'neill.  I was satisfied with the arrangement and process.  they have a wide range of services that they will provide from basic review to negotiations.  I probably feel even better about the experience because she asked for a professional allowance from the hospital we were negotiating with, so they pretty much paid her instead of me paying her.  That helped for sure.

[Jennifer Kirschenbaum]

Thanks, Doclude for the shout out!

We do our best.  Even if we are not sought after to assist for a particular contract, our firm does devote significant time towards education and we have several webinars on the employment contract process, which everybody can check out for free on our site - https://www.kirschenbaumesq.com/page/healthcare-webinars.

Here is our basic talk by YouTube link - https://www.youtube.com/embed/YKWC52O1kDQ?rel=0.

Best,

Jennifer