Contract negotiations - should I hire a lawyer?

[ethat001]

I'm currently getting contract offers, and wanted to see whether it was worth hiring a lawyer to review the contract.

Specifically, I am considering Kaiser Permanente - and since the possibilities of changing the contract details are slim, does it really make sense to spend thousands to have a lawyer look at it?

I do know my friend spent $3500 on a lawyer (ouch!) two years ago, but the lawyer negotiated a $15,000 signing bonus so it essentially paid for itself. However, my feeling is that this may not apply in my case since I'm guessing Kaiser contracts are probably not too negotiable..

What do you think?

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[drdavemd]

Not at that point myself yet, but all the conventional wisdom I have been exposed to says that the $ for the lawyer is well worth it. Even if you cannot offset the cost with an immediate gratification like a signing bonus, there is potentially a lot to be gained if you can soften/remove language about things like non-compete, time-to-partnership, buy-in costs, etc. Not sure how to check the credentials but obviously it is worth hiring someone who is familiar not just with contracts but physician contracts.

 

[dragonfly99]

But his question is about whether it will help to get a lawyer if the offer is from Kaiser....I wonder that too. If it's Kaiser in California in some desirable area, are they really going to negotatiate?

 

[tibor75]

Sure, get one to be 100% certain you're not getting screwed. But I agree, since it's Kaiser, it's likely a waste of time. I'm sure they give you their boiler-plate contract.

 

[dadr]

Sure, get one to be 100% certain you're not getting screwed. But I agree, since it's Kaiser, it's likely a waste of time. I'm sure they give you their boiler-plate contract.

I went to a seminar where they talked about various contract issues. There are many details that you might not think about or pick up on, both related to financial details and job requirements. For instance, there can be a clause that allows them to transfer your main practice within x number of miles away, to another clinic or hospital, without having to change terms of the contract. This could be particularly important for an HMO like Kaiser, where they could make you have office hours or cover hospitals all over the Bay Area or wherever you are.

And of course there are the business related issues, like practice buy in, profit sharing, non compete (if you take another position in the same city they can sue you especially if you take patients with you) and so forth, things that 99% of physicians coming out of training know nothing about.

 

[ethat001]

Thank you guys! I checked with the lawyer, and he said he would likely be able to review the contract for $500-1000, since Kaiser will likely not negotiate much. That seemed reasonable and I'm using him.

Btw, Kaiser does not usually have noncompete clauses.