Career and Life Planning Guidebook for Medical Residents

Select and speak with your attorney prior to your first interview so that you can hit the ground running when you receive your first offer letter or proposed contract. Manage the attorney relationship upfront with reasonable guidelines and expectations for services. Gather all of your questions and concerns and address them all at one time, rather than initiating numerous separate dialogues. By doing so, you will hold down fees and ensure a meaningful discussion of all related issues in one or two discussions. We recommend placing an hour restriction with your attorney unfront, i.e. for every 5 pages, 1 billable hour. Below is a sample script of setting up parameters with an attorney once he/she gives you their hourly rate. Once theattorneyagrees, sendanemail summarizing your expectations. Alternatively, you can request your attorney to estimate the time involved to complete the work requested without setting any parameters. The attorney most likely can give you a time range, but most likely will not be able to lock in the number of hours based on not knowing what may come up in the process. Summary: By reading this chapter, you are on the right path to working through the contract review process. Once you identify the right employer, break up the employment agreement process into steps with specific dates and you’ll experience more control and confidence in the process, experience less stress, and become a better communicator with your attorney, legal advisor, and future employer. Best of luck! SAMPLE SCRIPT I would like you to review the agreement with me, paragraph by paragraph, to interpret and explain the language so I can feel comfortable with the contract prior to signing. I would also like you to point out anything that I should be aware of or concerned about. Since there are 20 pages in the agreement, please do not spend more than 4 hours reviewing. The importance of turning around the review by [Date] is critical. Employment Law For Physicians 325 WWW.PHYSICIANCAREERPLANNING.COM