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Stuart Business Transactions & Planning Attorney

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Do you need to hire a Stuart business transactions and planning attorney to help with routine business contracts?

Sometimes, businesspeople think the easy solution is to buy a do-it-yourself kit at their local office supply store when they need a business contract. Others may wonder if they’re even considering the right type of contract.

Unfortunately, a pre-printed form from a store or website may not take into consideration all aspects of the situation. If a contract fails to protect your business interests, it can lead to expensive and time-consuming disputes in the future.

Types of Business Contracts

Depending on the specifics of your business, you may need one or several of the following types of contracts:

  • Employment agreements
  • Distributorship agreements
  • Non-compete and confidentiality agreements
  • Independent contractor agreements
  • Buy/sell agreements
  • Operating, shareholder, and partnership agreements

How A Florida Business Attorney Can Help

A Florida business attorney can help you determine what type of contract you need, and when you need it. He or she will also ask questions about your business interests, and make sure the contract prevents potential problems.
Employment contracts are often a source of concern for small business owners in Stuart and other areas of Florida.

Clients frequently have questions about what type of employment contracts they might need when hiring employees. The right employment contract for your situation varies depending on the nature and specifics of your business, but these are some common types of employment contracts:

Confidentiality Agreements

This contract says the employee will not reveal information about the employer’s business, and usually remains in effect after the employee no longer works for the company. Useful for businesses with proprietary information like patents or recipes, this type of agreement prevents an employee from stealing the “secret sauce” recipe and starting his/her own company down the road.

Non-compete Agreements

Maybe you don’t have a “secret sauce” recipe, but an employee could still learn a lot about the industry from working with you. Even if they don’t open up their own business, you still have to worry a competitor might hire them and everything they learned from you will be used to your competitor’s benefit. A non-compete agreement says an employee won’t work for a rival business or in a similar type of company or field for a certain amount of time after leaving the previous employer. These are usually limited in both time and geographical region—say, the Treasure Coast area for one year.

Ownership of Inventions

This type of contract specifies that anything an employee invents or creates for the employer is owned by the employer, not the employee. If the employee leaves, information about the invention will remain confidential. Similar contracts may also be used for other types of intellectual property, like artwork or writing.

Exclusive Employment

In this contract, the employee agrees not to work for competitors or others in a similar business while working for the contracted employer. This usually includes both paid and volunteer work.

Hiring A Business Transactions & Planning Attorney

These examples are just a few of the types of contracts that may be useful to your business. Unlike a do-it-yourself contract kit or a form downloaded from the internet, a Florida business attorney can advise you about specific clauses that may help protect your specific business interests. Arbitration and termination clauses, for example, are often useful in employment contracts, as they can prevent problems with termination or difficulties between the employer and employee.

If you have questions or concerns about contracts, business law, real estate, or other Florida legal services, please contact Apfelbaum Law for a consultation. We can be reached at 772-236-4009, or contactus@alawfl.com.

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