We Know What To Look For
Hidden formula issues that reduce your take home pay. Non competes that are way too broad. Partnership promises that are too vague to enforce.
Get your employment agreement reviewed before you sign. We help with compensation, non competes, and partnership buy ins.
Schedule ConsultationYour associate contract affects your income, where you can work after you leave, and whether you'll actually become a partner. The practice owner's attorney drafted it to protect them, not you.
Hidden formula issues that reduce your take home pay. Non competes that are way too broad. Partnership promises that are too vague to enforce.
We tell you if your compensation is actually competitive, not just what the practice owner says is standard. Real benchmarks for your specialty and market.
We review contracts for associates across the country. You work directly with Connor from start to finish. No getting passed around to junior associates.
The main issues that affect your income and career options
The percentage is just the starting point. Hidden deductions for supplies, lab fees, and overhead can cut your effective rate by 10% to 15%. Collection based formulas shift insurance risk to you without a higher percentage to compensate.
We break down the real formula, calculate what you'll actually take home, and compare it to market rates for your specialty. If it's below market, we negotiate better terms.
A 10 to 15 mile non compete for 2 to 3 years might sound reasonable until you realize it covers everywhere your patients actually live. If things don't work out, you're either moving or changing careers.
We negotiate scope, geography, and duration to something that protects the practice without destroying your options. Most of what practice owners call "standard" is actually negotiable.
Vague promises about partnership "after a few years" mean nothing. Without specific terms on valuation, payment structure, and what you're actually buying, you have no real path to ownership.
If partnership is part of the deal, we make sure the buy in price, payment terms, and ownership percentage are spelled out. Otherwise it's just talk.
Most associate contracts are at will, meaning you can be fired anytime for any reason. Then you're unemployed AND restricted from practicing locally. That's a problem.
We negotiate notice periods, severance terms, and provisions that waive the non compete if you're fired without cause. At minimum, you shouldn't be restricted if they terminate you.
Schedule a consultation to go through your associate agreement or partnership offer and figure out what needs to be negotiated.
Schedule ConsultationWhat to expect when working with us on your contract
Email your associate agreement or partnership proposal. We'll look it over and schedule a call to discuss the main issues and what can be improved.
We break down your compensation formula, calculate your real take home after all deductions, benchmark it against market rates, and identify problematic provisions in the non compete and other terms.
We develop a strategy for what to push back on, how to frame it, and what's worth fighting for versus what's standard. The goal is improving terms without killing the deal.
We can handle the negotiation directly or coach you through it, depending on what you prefer. Either way, we draft the language for any changes and make sure they're properly documented.
Before you sign, we verify that all negotiated changes made it into the final document correctly and nothing unfavorable was added in the process.
Yes. Even great working relationships benefit from clear contract terms. Most practice owners use standard templates without thinking about whether they're fair to associates.
A professional review helps you understand what you're actually agreeing to and can catch issues before they become problems. It's not about trust, it's about clarity.
General dentistry associates typically get 25% to 35% of production or collections. Specialists (endo, oral surgery, perio) often see 35% to 45%.
But the formula matters as much as the percentage. A 30% production deal with no deductions is better than 35% of collections with supply costs and lab fees taken out first.
Yes. Despite what practice owners might say, non competes are negotiable. Geographic scope, duration, and what activities are restricted can all be adjusted.
Most associates just accept whatever's in the contract because they don't realize it's negotiable. If you have other job options, you have leverage.
At minimum: how the practice value is calculated, what the payment terms are, what ownership percentage you're getting, how decisions are made, how profits are distributed, and what happens if someone wants out.
Without these details in writing, you're betting years of buy in payments on informal promises that might not pan out the way you think.
Deep dives into specific contract issues
Practice owners quote production percentages that sound competitive, but the fine print is where your actual pay gets cut.
Common hidden deductions: supply costs (could be 5% to 10% of production), lab fees (another 10% to 20% depending on the work you do), "administrative overhead" (vague charges that reduce your take), and collection based formulas where you only get paid when insurance actually pays.
A 32% production deal with all supplies and lab included is better than a 35% deal where those get deducted first. We calculate the real effective rate after all deductions.
Most practice owners want you to agree to a 10+ mile radius for 2+ years. That sounds reasonable until you map out where it actually prevents you from working.
In suburban or urban markets, a 10 mile radius covers basically everywhere your patients live. If you leave (for any reason), you either move to a different city or change careers. That's not a reasonable restriction, it's career handcuffs.
What's actually reasonable: 3 to 5 miles in urban areas, 5 to 7 miles in suburban markets, limited to competitive general dentistry (not all dental work), and 1 to 2 years maximum. Anything broader than that needs serious pushback.
Practice owners often mention partnership as a recruiting tool. "Work here a few years and we'll talk about partnership." Sounds great, but what does it actually mean?
Without specifics on valuation methodology, buy in price range, payment terms, ownership percentage, voting rights, and buyout provisions, you have no enforceable deal. The practice owner can change their mind, demand an inflated price, or offer you 10% ownership with no decision making power.
If partnership is part of why you're taking the job, get the terms in writing upfront. Or at least get a clear commitment to specific valuation methodology and timeline.
Most associate contracts don't require cause to terminate you. The practice owner can fire you any time for any reason, and then you're stuck with the non compete preventing you from working locally.
Better approach: require 60 to 90 days notice for termination without cause, include severance pay (maybe 2 to 3 months salary), and waive or reduce the non compete if you're fired without cause. You shouldn't be unemployed AND geographically restricted.
When partnership buy in comes up, the first question is: what's the practice actually worth? Most practice owners have an inflated idea of their practice value.
Reasonable valuation is based on actual EBITDA (not revenue), with a multiple that reflects the market for similar practices. For a minority stake, you should get a discount because you're not getting control.
If the practice owner is asking you to pay full market value for a 20% to 30% stake with no control rights, that's not a fair deal. Either the price comes down or you get real governance rights.
Tell us about your associate contract or partnership offer and we'll set up a call to discuss how we can help.