Employment Contract Attorneys in Maryland

Experienced Review and Negotiation of Employment Contracts in Maryland

Employment contracts are legally binding documents that define the terms, conditions, and privileges of your employment. Before signing a legally binding employment contract, it is always important to seek legal advice. At the Law Office of Andrew M. Dansicker, LLC, our Maryland employment contract lawyers can help evaluate your employment contract, determine its legal implications, and take advantage of any potential leverage you may have to negotiate a more favorable contract that contains terms that are less restrictive to you.

Discuss your situation with our Maryland employment contract attorneys during a consultation by calling (410) 213-3392.

Maximizing Your Employment Contract Terms in Maryland

Seemingly simple or unimportant provisions can have a profound effect on your term of employment and thereafter should you leave. For example, many employment contracts have draconian clauses that restrict your ability to work or compete with your employer in the future. Other employment contracts do not adequately set forth the reasons for which your employer can terminate your employment.

Our Maryland employment contract attorneys have evaluated dozens of employment contracts for numerous clients – including both employees and employers – so we can provide you with strategic and intelligent guidance concerning the existence or absence of particular terms and conditions that will help you protect your rights and negotiate a fair and reasonable employment contract. This advice and counseling may be necessary at the beginning of your job, when we can analyze and negotiate your employment contracts and noncompetition agreement. It can also help at the end of your employment, when we can advise you about a severance agreement or about the impact of any non-compete agreement you may have signed.

Understanding Employment Contracts in Maryland

When an employer and an employee enter a legally binding agreement about the terms of employment, this agreement is known as an “employment contract.” This contract is generally written and signed by each party, but it can also be oral or implied from the parties’ actions and statements.

An employment contract may also explain:

• How many hours an employee must work
• The benefits entitled to an employee
• The employee’s medical insurance coverage
• The employee’s paid time off, sick leave, and life insurance coverage

The employer and employee both determine the terms of an employment contract. Although the employer often has more bargaining power, employees also have legally protected rights.

Many employment agreements contain the following clauses:

• Termination clause – Presents the grounds for termination, as well as determines if an employee can re-apply for their current position or another role.
• Non-disclosure clause – Orders an employee to avoid disclosing the employer’s customer lists, intellectual property, and/or trade secrets to anyone who isn’t allowed to obtain such information.
• Non-compete clause – Forbids an employee to work with a competitor after he/she is terminated.
• Dispute resolution clause – Requires an employment to go through arbitration or mediation, rather than litigation, in the event of an employment dispute.

An employee can enter into an employment contract before or after he/she begins working for the employer. At any point, the terms of the contract can be re-negotiated.

Addressing Breach of Employment Contracts in Maryland

When an employer or an employee fails to fulfill their agreed-upon obligations, such action is considered a “breach of contract.” For example, an employee claims to have been laid off or terminated prior to the term agreed to in the contract, or for reasons that were forbidden according to the agreement.

Common examples of a breach of employment agreement include:

• Failing to pay an employee’s wages as stated in the contract
• Denying an employee’s entitled benefits
• Seeking employment elsewhere before the end of the contract
• Disclosing private information to another company