• Facebook
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
Call us now: (602) 344 9865
Chelle Law
  • Home
  • Medical Contract Attorney
    • Dentist Contract Attorney
      • Dental Associate Employment Contracts 
        • Can a Dental Associate Break Their Contract?
        • How a Dentist Should Negotiate a Contract
        • How is a Dentist Given a Draw in a Contract?
        • Red Flags in a Dentist Employment Contract
        • What Should a Dentist put in a Termination Letter?
      • Dental Malpractice Insurance
        • Claims Made Insurance for a Dental Associate Explained
        • How Much Does Tail Insurance Cost for a Dentist?
        • Occurrence Based Insurance for a Dental Associate Explained
        • Should a Dentist Choose Claims Made or Occurrence Insurance?
        • What is Tail Insurance for a Dentist?
      • Dental Non Compete Clause
        • Dental Associate Non Compete vs Non Solicit
        • Dental Non Compete Mile Radius Explained
        • Dental Non Compete Time Limits Explained
        • Dentist Non Compete Restricted Offices Explained
        • Is a Non Compete Enforceable Against a Dentist?
      • Dental Contract Benefits 
        • Does a Dentist Have to Repay a Bonus if they Terminate the Contract?
        • How Much PTO Should a Dental Associate Get?
        • How Much Should a Dentist get for CE Expenses?
        • Should a Dentist be Reimbursed for Moving Expenses?
        • What Expenses Should a Dental Practice Pay For a Dentist?
      • Dental Independent Contractor Agreements
        • Are Dentists Usually Self Employed?
        • Dentist Independent Contractor Tax Deductions
        • Dentist Independent Contractor vs Employee
        • Is a W2 or 1099 Better for a Dental Associate?
        • What is a 1099 Dentist?
    • Nurse Practitioner Contract Attorney
      • Nurse Practitioner Employment Contracts
        • Can a Nurse Practitioner Break Their Contract?
        • How a Nurse Practitioner Should Negotiate a Contract
        • Red Flags in a Nurse Practitioner Employment Contract
        • What is the Most Common Nurse Practitioner Compensation Model?
        • What Needs to go in a Nurse Practitioner Termination Letter?
      • Nurse Practitioner Malpractice Insurance
        • Claims Made Insurance for a Nurse Practitioner Explained
        • How Much Does Tail Insurance Cost for a Nurse Practitioner?
        • Occurrence Based Insurance for a Nurse Practitioner Explained
        • Should a Nurse Practitioner Choose Claims Made or Occurrence?
        • Tail Insurance for a Nurse Practitioner Explained
      • Nurse Practitioner Non Compete Clauses
        • How Many Locations Should a Nurse Practitioner Non Compete Apply To?
        • Is 10 Miles a Reasonable Non Compete for a Nurse Practitioner?
        • Is a 2 Year Non Compete for a Nurse Practitioner Reasonable?
        • Is a Non Compete Enforceable Against a Nurse Practitioner?
        • Nurse Practitioner Non Compete vs Non Solicit
      • Nurse Practitioner Contract Benefits
        • Does a Nurse Practitioner Repay a Bonus if the Contract is Terminated?
        • How Much Paid Time Off Should a Nurse Practitioner Get?
        • Should a Nurse Practitioner be Reimbursed for Moving Expenses?
        • What Benefits Should be in a Nurse Practitioner Offer Letter?
        • What Nurse Practitioner Expenses Should an Employer Pay For?
      • Nurse Practitioner Independent Contract Agreements
        • Is a W2 or 1099 Better for a Nurse Practitioner?
        • Nurse Practitioner Independent Contractor Tax Deductions
        • Nurse Practitioner Independent Contractor vs Employee
        • Nurse Practitioner Self Employed vs Independent Contractor
        • What is a 1099 Nurse Practitioner?
    • Optometrist Contract Attorney
    • Physician Contract Attorney
      • Medical Employment Contracts
        • J-1
          • ECFMG Eligibility
        • How Many Years Should the Term of a Physician Contract Be?
        • Should a Physician Accept an Arbitration Clause?
        • What Is the Best Without Cause Termination Length in a Physician Contract?
      • Medical Malpractice Insurance
        • What Is Claims-Made Insurance For a Physician?
        • What Is Occurrence Insurance for a Physician?
        • Should a Physician Choose Claims-Made or Occurrence Malpractice Insurance?
        • What Is Tail Coverage for Physician Malpractice Insurance?
        • When Does a Physician Need to Pay for Tail Insurance?
        • How Much Does Tail Insurance Cost for a Physician?
        • 3 ways a physician can get out of paying for tail insurance
      • Non-Compete Agreements
        • Is 10 Miles a Reasonable Restriction in a Physician Non-Compete?
        • Is a 2-Year Physician Non-Compete Too Long?
        • How Many Locations Should a Physician Non-Compete Apply to?
        • Is a Non-Compete Enforceable Against a Physician?
      • Medical Professional Contract Benefits
        • How Much Should an Employer Give a Physician for CME Expenses?
        • What Physician Business Expenses Should an Employer Pay for?
        • How Much PTO Should a Physician Get?
        • Should A Physician Receive Relocation Reimbursement When Moving for a New Job?
        • Does a Physician Have to Repay a Sign-On Bonus When They Leave?
        • Does A Physician Have to Repay Relocation Assistance If They Leave?
      • Independent Contractor Agreements
        • Can a Physician be an Independent Contractor?
        • Physician Independent Contractor vs Employee
        • Is a W2 or 1099 Better for a Physician?
        • What is a 1099 Physician?
        • What Percentage of Physicians are Self Employed?
    • Physician Assistant Contract Attorney
      • Physician Assistant Employment Contracts
        • Can a Physician Assistant Break Their Contract?
        • How a Physician Assistant Should Negotiate a Contract
        • Red Flags in a Physician Assistant Employment Contract?
        • What is the Most Common Physician Assistant Compensation Model?
        • What Should Go Into a Physician Assistant Termination Letter?
      • Physician Assistant Malpractice Insurance
        • How Much Does Tail Insurance Cost for a Physician Assistant?
        • Should a Physician Assistant Choose Claims Made or Occurrence Insurance?
        • Tail Insurance for a Physician Assistant Explained
        • What is Claims Made Insurance for a Physician Assistant?
        • What is Occurrence Based Insurance for a Physician Assistant?
      • Physician Assistant Non Compete Clauses
        • How Many Locations Should a Physician Assistant Non Compete Apply To?
        • Is 10 Miles a Reasonable Non Compete for a Physician Assistant?
        • Is a 2 Year Non Compete for a Physician Assistant Reasonable?
        • Is a Non Compete Enforceable Against a Physician Assistant?
        • Physician Assistant Non Compete vs Non Solicit
      • Physician Assistant Contract Benefits
        • Does a Physician Assistant Repay a Bonus if the Contract is Terminated?
        • Should a Physician Assistant be Reimbursed for Moving Expenses?
        • What Benefits Should Go In a Physician Assistant Offer Letter?
        • What Physician Assistant Expenses Should an Employer Pay For?
      • Physician Assistant Independent Contractor Agreements
        • Can a Physician Assistant be Self Employed?
        • Is a W2 or 1099 Better for a Physician Assistant?
        • Physician Assistant Independent Contractor Tax Deductions
        • Physician Assistant Independent Contractor vs Employee
        • What is a 1099 Physician Assistant?
    • Veterinarian Contract Attorney
      • Veterinary Associate Employment Contracts
        • Can You Break a Veterinary Associate Contract?
        • How is a Veterinarian Given a Draw in a Contract?
        • How to Negotiate a Veterinary Associate Contract
        • Red Flags in a Veterinary Associate Contract
        • What Should be in a Veterinary Associate Termination Letter?
      • Veterinary Malpractice Insurance
        • What is AVMA Excess Limit Coverage?
        • What is AVMA Veterinary License Defense Insurance?
        • What is Occurrence Insurance for a Veterinarian?
        • What is the AVMA PLIT?
        • Why Veterinarians Do Not Need Tail Insurance
      • Veterinary Non Compete Agreements
        • How Many Locations Should a Veterinary Non Compete Apply To?
        • Is a Non Compete Enforceable Against a Veterinarian?
        • Veterinarian Non Solicit vs Non Compete
        • Veterinary Non Compete Mile Radius Explained
        • Veterinary Non Compete Time Limits Explained
      • Veterinary Professional Contract Benefits
        • How Much PTO Should a Veterinary Associate Get?
        • How Much Should a Veterinarian get for CME Expenses?
        • Must a Veterinarian Repay a Bonus if They Terminate the Contract?
        • Should a Veterinarian be Reimbursed for Moving Expenses?
        • What Veterinarian Business Expenses Should an Employer Pay For?
      • Veterinary Independent Contractor Agreements
        • Pros and Cons of Employment at a Corporate Veterinary Office
        • Should a Veterinarian be a W2 or a 1099?
        • Veterinarian Independent Contractor Tax Deductions
        • Veterinary Independent Contractor vs Employee
        • What is a 1099 Veterinarian?
  • Our Attorneys
    • Robert S. Chelle, Esq.
    • Renee Osipov, Esq.
    • Erin Howlett, Esq.
  • Results
  • Contact Us
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

How a Dentist Should Negotiate a Contract: Dental Agreement Negotiation

How should you negotiate a dental associate contract? I will give some tips and tricks on how to get a better dental associate employment contract. First, there is a difference between negotiating a contract with somebody just coming out of training versus someone who’s been established in a community for a while. You simply have more leverage if you are in any community and either your practice is being brought out by a corporate practice or another group wants you to join them, and you have an established patient base. Let’s first talk about those coming out of training. What do you need to do to put yourself in the best position to negotiate a contract? Well, you need to know what’s important.

Negotiating an Employment Contract for a Dentist

For most dentists, the most important things are obviously compensation, is it a base salary? Is it a daily rate? Is it net collection? How do you terminate the contract? Are you able to get out of it with a certain amount of notice or the benefits, do they pay for your license, DEA registration, credentialing, any kind of continuing education, and then are there signing bonuses, and relocation assistance? Do you have to pay them back if you leave within a certain amount of time? And then probably the two highest priorities are who pays for malpractice insurance, who must pay for tail insurance after the contract terminates, if it’s claims made policy, and then lastly, the non-compete. For some people, this is the absolute, most important thing in the contract. If they’re tied to a community, kids in school, family, they absolutely can’t leave, then you need a reasonable non-compete that’s not going to make you must move completely out of the area.

Alright, those are the things that are most important to most dental associates. Now, you’re coming on training, you have a job offer, they’re giving you a certain amount. How do you know what’s reasonable and what’s not? Well, the best place to find out that information is to talk to your classmates. What are the offers they’re getting? How much are they getting? How are they structured? Where is the job offers coming from? That’s the best and most, I would say, accurate means of finding out what the going rate is at that time. The compensation is going to vary wildly. As I said before, is it a base salary? Is at a daily rate. Is there some kind of net collection involved? Is it a hybrid? Could it be half base, half net collections?

Many times, compensation for a job may look great, but then the benefits are bad or they’re not paying for your tail insurance or the non-compete is terrible. So, you can’t just take compensation as the number one factor in determining what is a good opportunity, but it certainly is important. Knowing whether a non-compete is fair or not is something you probably must talk to a professional about. For the most part, anywhere between one to two years, and then maybe 5 to 15 miles from your primary practice location would be considered reasonable. If you’re in a non-compete that’s more than two years or it knocks out like multiple counties or maybe they’ve attached the non-compete radius to, let’s say, it’s a corporate practice in a big city and they have 10 locations.

Non Compete Law for Dentists

And they’re saying, well, you can’t work within 10 miles of every location we own. That’s not a reasonable non-compete. The actual negotiation will depend on two things. One, do they give you an offer letter, or do they just give you the employment agreement? If they give you an offer letter, they’re going to expect that those terms are going to be negotiated in advance and then incorporated into the employment agreement. And then, they’re going to give you the employment agreement. I find sometimes it’s difficult to come to terms with the main parts of an offer letter without seeing the full employment agreement. I mean, if I had a perfect scenario, there would be no offer letter. They would just give the employment agreement. Then you’d have kind of a full understanding of what the job entails and what the expectations are for both parties.

You could agree to a salary, you could agree to the length of the term, that there is a non-compete, that the things they’ll pay for, but when you see the specific language in the contract, it could greatly change the way you look at the value of the contract. Just because you’ve signed an offer letter doesn’t mean that you can’t renegotiate those terms if you provide proper context to the employer. Alright, I was okay with making $110,000 a year and base salary, not knowing that the non-compete effectively knocks me out of the entire state. If you want me to sign this contract with that non-compete, then I need 130,000 or something like that. There are many ways of going back and forth. Some employers will just simply say, this is a take-it or leave-it. I would be wary of signing a contract with an organization that’s unwilling to make any changes at all in the contract.

It usually means they’re difficult to work with down the road or a very rigid and kind of unprofessional environment. So, if you find that someone just says, take it or leave it, I would leave it and move on and try to find a better opportunity. I’m just telling you, if they take the mindset that they’re not going to change anything in the contract, like nothing at all, no change at signing bonus, relocation assistance, benefits, anything like that, it is a bad sign moving forward. And then one more thing to think about and absolutely should be top of mind when you’re signing a contract or negotiating the terms of an agreement: every employment contract should have what’s called without cause termination. Either party should have the ability to terminate the agreement at any time with a certain amount of notice to the other party.

Red Flags in Dental Associate Contracts

Usually, somewhere between 30 to 90 days. If your contract does not have without cause termination, meaning, you must fulfill the entire initial term of the agreement somewhere between one to three years, normally, it is an enormous red flag. You absolutely should not sign that contract for this reason. If they have excluded without cause termination, which is essentially standard across all healthcare professions, it usually means they’ve had a ton of turnover or they’ve had some very dissatisfied dentists that have wanted to leave. So, they’ve removed that ability and made sure that they must stay there for a three-year period or a two-year period or whatever. If it’s not in the contract, that’s why it’s normally not in there because they’ve had a ton of turnover and the turnover is normally due to bad management. It’s either it’s a toxic work environment, or the compensation is not worth the amount of time or effort you’ve, you’ve had to put into it.

Absolutely makes sense there’s always without cause termination and the employment agreement. Don’t feel bad about asking for things. If you’re negotiating the terms of employment, most smart employers expect there’s going to be some back and forth. Ask for a little more salary, a little more bonus, and a little less non-compete radius. Like incremental things that you can get changed in the agreement can make kind of a big change in the value of an opportunity. So, don’t feel bad. Now, obviously, if they’re offering a hundred and you ask for 300 or some crazy amount, they’re going to just think that you have no idea what’s going on. They’ll probably move on. When you ask for something, it needs to be reasonable. How do you find out what’s reasonable or not? Once again, talk to your classmates, talk to any mentors, talk to attorneys who understand what they’re doing, and deal with these contracts every day. That’s where you need to get in. But if you go in and ask for these ridiculous changes to an agreement, most places will either just pull the offer just to say, no, we’re not doing any of that. So, that’s how you negotiate a dental associate contract.

Negotiating Dental Associate Salary

There’s no great resource that aggregates all the data for salaries across the country that I find that is accurate for the dentist. So, talking to colleagues, mentors, people you were in training with, I think is usually the most accurate way of finding out kind of what’s the going rate. And sometimes, some of the dental associations can provide, I guess, some data that’s okay, but I wouldn’t completely rely upon it. When you get an initial offer, let’s just say it’s for 120,000. Most employers expect at least some kind of back and forth as far as compensation is concerned. So, don’t feel bad asking for more. Now, how much more depends, but you need to be reasonable. If 120 is kind of the average for a, let’s just say, you’re right out of training, you have no experience in building up a practice and you say, you know what, I don’t want 120, I want 240.

Well, that is very likely going to be laughed off by the employer. And it’s going to put you kind of or at least start you on the wrong foot. If you’re going to ask for a bigger amount, it needs to be reasonable and then it needs to be as informed as you can be. One good way of doing it is if you’ve identified an area that you want to practice in, reach out to multiple practices and try to get an average of what all of them are offering you. And then, that way you can determine if one place is kind of lowballing you or not. Beyond salary, you also need to consider all the ancillary benefits. The actual benefits like health, vision, dental, life, disability, retirement, but then are there potential bonuses?

Are they paying for your malpractice insurance and tail? What are the restrictive covenants? When I find people that are just basing a job on the baseline number for their salary and not anything else, I think that’s shortsighted. One job that pays $20,000 less could be much better when you consider all the different bonuses and benefits, and maybe a kind of a lesser restrictive covenant, like with the non-compete, for instance, versus another one that pays 20,000 more but doesn’t offer all of those other good things. Another tip: when you’re searching for your first job out of training, you want to go into an environment that you can learn from. There should be other experienced dentists around you in a professional environment. I mean, you obviously need to interview and go out and look at the practice and see how they operate. Is there proper staffing? Are you going to be efficient? If you’re paid on productivity, are they going to do everything necessary to make you as efficient as possible? Because if they don’t, then your production is going to be less and you’re going to make less. Now, as far as the other kind of compensation models, a daily rate is pretty simple.

Employment Contract Questions?

Contract Review, Termination Issues, and more!

For More Information >

Call Us Now: 602.344.9865

Contact Us

If you are in need of assistance or would like to hear more about the services we offer contact Chelle Law today!

Links of Interest

  • Home
  • Dentist Contract Lawyer
    • Dental Associate Employment Contracts 
    • Dental Malpractice Insurance
    • Dental Non Compete Clause
    • Dental Professional Contract Benefits 
    • Dental Independent Contractor Agreements
Google
Based on 121 reviews.
Melinda Striyle
Melinda Striyle
2022-06-12
Attentive, respectful, great to work with.
Jenn Lighthall
Jenn Lighthall
2022-06-10
Absolutely fantastic. I would give more than five stars if I could. Highly recommend!
Meghna C.
Meghna C.
2022-05-31
Renee was great to work with when negotiating my contract! I am a resident physician signing on for my first attending job, and I felt more comfortable with the language used in the contract after going over it with Renee. I also got a higher starting salary which made the price more than worth it. I would definitely use Chelle Law again!
Jennifer Nevis
Jennifer Nevis
2022-05-30
Erin Howlett saved me from a terrible situation and I can't thank her enough. I had accepted a veterinary dental residency in northern Illinois with a private practice. The letter of intent was routine yet the actual contract so punitive and predatory in nature that it was hard to believe it was from the same people. Erin believed I was worth more than the "Zero" this practice claimed. Without her on my side, I would have naively signed this "bait and switch" and been finacially and professionally ruined if I couldn't complete the 6 year commitment this practice demanded.
robin singh
robin singh
2022-05-27
I consulted with Chelle law for contract review. They were suggested by our employer. Renee osipov was incredibly helpful and was able to navigate me in right direction. I fully recommend them.
Melanie Schlote
Melanie Schlote
2022-05-22
Erin was so professional and very quick to respond. She took the stress away from contract reviewing and made me feel confident in this next step of my career.
Mitul Patel
Mitul Patel
2022-05-22
I contacted Chelle Law for my dental contract review. I am very pleased with contact review with Attorney Renee. Renee was very kind, helpful, honest, informative and knowledgeable. She had some solid advice regarding negotiations. Katie was very helpful to schedule appointment with Renee within few days. I had some questions next day and emailed her and she responded back to me within an hour. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND CHELLE LAW FOR YOUR CONTRACT REVIEW. THANK YOU!!
Anna Etzler
Anna Etzler
2022-05-20
Renee was wonderful to work with and helped me with a contract review for my first NP job. She took the time to help me understand each section of the contract and even helped me successfully negotiate so that the contract would best fit my needs. Chelle Law was very responsive to my needs and set up my initial review and revision review in a timely manner! I would highly recommend their services to anyone in the medical profession.
Alan W
Alan W
2022-05-16
Had the privilege of working with their attorney Renee. She was really thorough, professional, and went above and beyond in reviewing my contract. Couldn't have asked for a better experience.

Call Us Today!

602.344.9865

Hours/Office

Monday-Friday: 8:00am-5:00pm (MST/MDT)

Chelle Law 5425 E. Bell Rd, Ste 107

Scottsdale, AZ 85254

Contact Us Today!

5425 E. Bell Rd, Ste 107, Scottsdale, AZ 85254

info@chellelaw.com

Practice Areas

  • Professional Licensing Board Defense
  • Medical Contract Lawyer
  • Administrative Appeals & Hearings
  • Medical Contract Drafting
  • Fingerprint Card Attorney

Office Locations

  • Arizona
  • Indiana

Company

  • Robert S. Chelle, Esq. Founder & CEO
  • Sara Stark, Esq. Attorney
  • Renee Osipov, Esq. Attorney
  • Erin Howlett, Esq. Attorney
  • Charlie Hover, Esq. Attorney

Resources

  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Follow Us

© 2022 Chelle Law. All rights reserved.  Disclaimer & Terms of Use.  Privacy Policy.

Scroll to top

How Much PTO Should a Physician Get Download



How Much PTO Should a Physician Get?

4 Factors to Consider with PTO

How Much Does Tail Insurance Cost Download

How Much Does Tail Insurance Cost for a Physician?

4 Key Aspects of Tail Insurance for Physicians

Physician Contract Review Checklist

Where Should We Send the Physician Contract Checklist?

28 Essential Physician Contract Terms to Put You in a Positive Financial Situation for Years to Come.