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An Overview of Veterinary Associate Contracts

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As the owner of a veterinary practice, you understand the importance of your employees. Equally important, however, is to have well-drafted contracts in place outlining the nature of the relationship you have with your employees. In addition to outlining your respective roles and responsibilities, veterinary associate contracts serve to protect the employee’s interests and the interests of your practice. In this article, we provide an overview of veterinary associate contracts. 

Reasons for Veterinary Associate Contracts

Veterinary associate contracts are beneficial for a number of reasons, including: 

  • Veterinary associate contracts serve to protect both parties. 
  • Veterinary associate contracts help avoid misunderstandings over benefits, compensation, and employee duties. 
  • Having veterinary associate contracts in place can make it easier to sell your practice should you ever decide to do so.
  • Although verbal employment agreements are binding, they are difficult to prove and can lead to disputes down the road. 

What Do Veterinary Associate Contracts Cover? 

Veterinary associate contracts cover all aspects of the employer/employee relationship, including onboarding and termination. And although verbal agreements are legally binding, it’s practically impossible to outline all details of an employer/employee relationship verbally. Therefore, it is to each party’s benefit to enter a veterinary associate contract that clearly outlines the terms of the relationship between the employee and the practice. 

Common Veterinary Associate Contract Clauses

Although every contract is different, common clauses included in veterinary associate agreements include: 

Term: The term is the period for which the contract is in effect. Contracts generally may either be written for a set time period, or they may be perpetual.

Duties: The duties clause of a veterinary associate contract outlines the specific duties and requirements of the position. 

Compensation and schedule: Veterinary associate contracts also often outline the compensation to be provided to the employee and the employee’s work schedule. 

Benefits: If the position involves benefits in addition to pay, such as insurance, professional licensure, tuition for continuing education, or association fees, then these should be outlined in the contract.  

Termination: Another common and important clause that is usually included in veterinary associate contracts is a termination clause. This clause outlines reasons for termination and sometimes establishes a timeframe for providing notice should either party decide to sever the business relationship. 

Buy-in option provision: Finally, when an associate has been with a veterinary practice for several years, he or she may develop an interest in becoming a partner in the practice or eventually assuming ownership of the practice. When this is the case, the parties can amend the associate contract to add a buy-in option. 

Contact Our Experienced Veterinary Lawyers 

At Mahan Law, our experienced veterinary professionals help the owners of veterinary practices address the challenges posed by the veterinary industry. Regardless of your practice’s needs, we have the experience and knowledge necessary to provide you with the tools you need to make your practice successful. Please contact us today to arrange an initial consultation with a talented veterinary attorney.

Attorneys sitting together discussing veterinary malpractice case

Dealing With the Stress of a Veterinary Malpractice Lawsuit

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Although rewarding, the veterinary profession can be stressful. In addition to the many routine issues that you must address each day, you also must confront unexpected challenges. One such challenge is a veterinary malpractice lawsuit. Unfortunately, a veterinary malpractice lawsuit can arise at any time. Therefore, you must always remain prepared for this possibility, and you must know how to address it when it arises. In addition to understanding how to address veterinary malpractice lawsuits from a legal perspective, you must possess the tools to deal with the mental and physical effects of litigation. In this article, we discuss how to deal with the stress of a veterinary malpractice lawsuit. 

Prepare 

After being served with a veterinary malpractice lawsuit, the first thing you should do is prepare. The first reason for this is obvious—adequate preparation increases your odds of a successful outcome. However, preparing for your lawsuit can also help to reduce your stress in several ways. For one, by shifting your focus to preparation, you have less time to worry. And second, preparation can give you the peace of mind that you’ve done everything possible to address your case, thereby reducing your overall stress level.  

Confer with Colleagues and Friends (But Don’t Discuss Specifics)

Another way to reduce the stress caused by a veterinary malpractice lawsuit is to discuss the matter with colleagues who’ve faced similar challenges. Specifically, it can be helpful to speak with other veterinarians who’ve faced malpractice lawsuits in the past. When discussing this matter, you should ask them how they dealt with the stress associated with the lawsuit. 

In addition, you should speak to family members who are willing to listen to your concerns. Often, just expressing your feeling about the matter can reduce your stress levels. However, when speaking to colleagues or family, be sure not to discuss the details of your case. In fact, the only person you should share this information with is your veterinary malpractice attorney. 

Prioritize Your Physical and Mental Health

Finally, after being served with a veterinary malpractice lawsuit, you should prioritize your physical and mental health. Although being sued is stressful, you shouldn’t take any actions that increase this stress. For example, although you should prepare for the lawsuit with the help of your attorney, you shouldn’t fixate on the case. In addition, you shouldn’t attempt to handle your stress by overindulging in food or alcohol. Instead, you should engage in healthy, stress-reducing activities, such as exercising and participating in hobbies.  

Contact an Experienced Veterinary Lawyer 

At Mahan Law, our experienced veterinary legal professionals help our clients address the legal challenges that arise over the course of providing veterinary services. Regardless of your legal needs, our experienced lawyers have the tools necessary to provide you with excellent legal representation. Please contact us as soon as possible to arrange a free and confidential consultation with a talented veterinary practice litigation attorney.

veterinary practice receptionist greeting patient

Tips for Improving Your Veterinary Practice’s Customer Service

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As a veterinary practice owner, you understand the importance of providing your patients with excellent care. However, from a business perspective, it is equally important to provide your clients with great customer service. In other words, if you don’t provide your customers with excellent service, they’re unlikely to remain your customers for long. In this article, we provide some tips for improving your veterinary practice’s customer service.  

Educate 

Veterinary practice staff members often feel like salespeople when dealing with customers. Unfortunately, customers pick up on this as well. Therefore, instead of trying to sell services to customers, focus on educating them. In other words, you should provide clients with information on the best ways to care for their pets and keep them healthy. Of course, this will likely include veterinary services. However, by framing your recommendations in an educational and informational manner, customers are less likely to feel like you are simply trying to sell them treatments. And this, in turn, will make them more likely to remain patrons of your practice. 

Build Relationships 

Your customers should always feel comfortable when they bring their pets to your veterinary practice. Therefore, you and your staff should aim to build relationships with your clients. In other words, you should aim to do more than simply treat your customer’s pets and send them on their way. Instead, you should take the time to get to know your customers and their pets. By making a genuine effort to understand your customers and their needs, you will be in a much better position to provide them with effective services. In addition, customers appreciate it when you take the time to get to know them. When you do so, they are more likely to remain your customers instead of going elsewhere for their veterinary needs. 

Communicate

Finally, excellent customer service is impossible without great communication. Therefore, you must ensure that you and your veterinary staff are excellent communicators. In other words, from the time they book their first appointment, your customers should have a clear understanding of the services you provide, their requirements as clients, and any other information that is pertinent to the treatment of their pets. And this excellent communication must persist throughout the course of treatment. A major customer complaint regarding veterinary services is lack of communication. Therefore, by ensuring that you and your employees are excellent communicators, you ensure that your customers will remain your customers for years to come. 

Contact Our Experienced Veterinary Lawyers 

At Mahan Law, our experienced veterinary professionals help veterinarians address the unique challenges of the veterinary business. Regardless of your practice’s needs, our experienced veterinary lawyers are here to help. Whether you need to address an immediate legal issue or need assistance improving the overall quality of your practice, we have the knowledge and experience necessary to address your needs. Please contact us today to arrange a free and confidential initial consultation with one of our experienced veterinary attorneys.

veterinarian with dog

Tips for Starting a Successful Veterinary Practice

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Starting your own veterinary practice can be a fulfilling and lucrative endeavor. However, there are several things to consider before you begin the process. In this article, we provide some tips for starting a successful veterinary practice. 

Determine What You Want to Accomplish

Although it may seem obvious, the first step in starting a successful veterinary practice is determining what you want to accomplish. Therefore, before doing anything else, you should develop a clear vision of what you are seeking to accomplish with your practice. Doing so will help guide your decisions as you navigate the process. 

Choose A Market

Next, you should determine what type of practice you want to open. In other words, you should choose a niche. For example, you should decide whether your practice will be a general practice or cater to specific types of animals or medical conditions. 

Choose a Location

After determining the type of practice you’d like to open, you should choose a location. One way to decide this is to determine where your target audience lives and where they go to obtain veterinary care. You should also determine how many other veterinary practices are operating in your potential locations. 

Create a Business Plan

Every new business needs a business plan. Therefore, the next thing you should do is develop a plan that outlines the details of your practice. Your plan should include financial information, a marketing strategy, and other key details about your practice. 

Obtain Financing

Unless you have a significant amount of cash available, you’ll need to obtain financing to start your new practice. Common financing options include lenders, banks, and investors. The kind of financing you obtain will depend on the size of your practice and the amount of money you require to get up and running. 

Hire a Team of Professionals

A successful veterinary practice requires a team of dedicated professionals. Therefore, at a minimum, you should work with an accountant, an insurance agent, and an experienced veterinary attorney as you work to establish your new practice. 

Set Your Physical Location

There are several options available when it comes to choosing the actual physical location of your practice. Depending on your financing and needs, you may choose to open a hospital, a clinic, or a mobile clinic. You’ll also need to decide whether you want to rent, buy, or build. In addition, you must ensure that you have all the necessary equipment and obtain all required permits and licenses to operate your practice. 

Hire Staff 

Finally, you must hire and train employees. Depending on the size of your practice, you may want to consider hiring professionals, such as veterinary technicians and assistants. In addition, you’ll need to hire non-medical staff members, such as a front desk manager or receptionist. 

Contact Our Experienced Veterinary Lawyers 

At Mahan Law, our experienced veterinary lawyer helps veterinary practice owners address the unique challenges of the veterinary industry. Regardless of your needs, we have the knowledge and experience necessary to provide you with excellent legal guidance. Please contact us to schedule a free and confidential initial consultation with a talented veterinary attorney.

veterinary practice client with dog

Tips for Dealing with Difficult Clients at Your Veterinary Clinic

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A veterinary practice can be a highly emotional environment. This is understandable; after all, veterinarians treat people’s beloved pets—often under less-than-ideal circumstances. Therefore, as a veterinary practice owner, you must be prepared to deal with challenging situations. In this article, we provide tips for dealing with difficult clients at your veterinary practice. 

Remain Calm 

The first thing to do when dealing with a difficult client is to remain calm. Although this may be easier said than done, remaining calm can help ensure that things don’t escalate further. If you allow yourself to become angry, the odds of a successful resolution of the problem significantly decline. One way to remain calm when dealing with an angry client is to remember that his or her anger is likely coming from a place of concern for his or her pet. 

Listen

It’s normal to become defensive when dealing with a difficult client, especially if he or she is personally attacking you or your practice. However, by allowing the client to vent—and actually listening to what he or she has to say—you’ll be much better equipped to address his or her problem. 

Don’t Take it Personally 

As a practice owner, it can be difficult to listen to someone criticize you, your practice, or your staff. However, as noted above, you must keep in mind that upset clients are often highly emotional due to issues involving their pets. Therefore, you should do your best not to take the criticism personally. In fact, when you do your best to address an upset client’s concerns, he or she will likely appreciate the effort and may even apologize for his or her behavior. 

Remain Compassionate 

As noted above, difficult clients are usually upset due to an issue involving a beloved pet. Therefore, you should always remain compassionate—even when a client is irate. After all, your clients entrust you with their pets, and they expect you to provide them with excellent care. So, even if your client is in the wrong, remember that he or she is ultimately acting out of deep concern for a pet. 

Try to Identify and Solve the Problem 

Finally, when a client is being difficult, you should do your best to attempt to identify and solve his or her problem. Sometimes, this involves looking beyond what the client is saying and doing. For example, a client who is complaining about a small issue, such as a minor billing discrepancy, may actually be doing so out of concern for his or her pet. Regardless, by doing your best to address your clients’ concerns, you will demonstrate that you actually care about making them happy, and you will increase your odds of retaining their business.  

Contact Our Experienced Veterinary Lawyers

At Mahan Law, we can help you address the challenges of running a veterinary practice. Regardless of your unique needs, our talented attorneys have the knowledge and experience necessary to assist you. At Mahan Law, we are seasoned veterans of the veterinary industry, and we can help you address your issues—whatever they may be. Please contact us to arrange an initial consultation with one of our experienced attorneys.

Woman with cat at a veterinary practice

Challenges of Owning a Veterinary Practice

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There are many advantages to owning a veterinary practice. However, as with any business, veterinary practice ownership poses unique challenges. Therefore, as a practice owner, it’s important to understand these challenges and how to address them. In this article, we examine some of the most common challenges of owning a veterinary practice.  

Heavy Workload

Veterinary practice owners have a lot of responsibilities. Not only do they have to focus on growing the business, but they also must deal with marketing, administration, clinical duties, payroll, and more. In fact, studies show that veterinary practice owners often work in excess of 70 hours a week. Of course, the tradeoff is that veterinary practice owners get to experience the perks of owning a business, such as not answering to a boss, setting their own policies and procedures, establishing a work culture that aligns with their personal values, and more. 

Expenses 

Establishing a veterinary practice can be expensive. The cost to start a practice can depend on several factors. For example, when acquiring an existing practice, you’ll be paying for things like the business’s goodwill, equipment, and materials. This can be costly. And if you’re starting from scratch, you’ll need a significant amount of money to get your practice up and running. Common costs associated with starting a new practice include: 

  • Acquisition costs
  • Staff wages
  • Drug fees
  • Marketing costs
  • Equipment costs
  • Rent or mortgage costs

On the flipside, although starting or purchasing a practice can be expensive, these costs can be recouped many times over if the practice is successful. 

Management Can Be Difficult 

When starting a new practice, hiring and training new employees can be a challenging process. 

In addition, before starting recruitment, new practice owners have a multitude of factors to consider. For example, new practice owners must establish their practice values to help guide the hiring process. In addition, they must decide what skills their ideal candidates should possess and determine the strategy they want to implement to increase the odds of recruiting and hiring these individuals. 

And owners who acquire an existing practice have the challenge of inheriting an existing team of employees. Taking over and retraining a new staff can be difficult because existing employees may be set in their ways and not open to new ways of conducting business. 

However, dealing with employees, whether existing or new, is not unique to the veterinary industry. So, even though management can be a challenge, especially at the onset, it becomes much easier over time. 

Contact Our Experienced Veterinary Lawyers

At Mahan Law, we help veterinarians address the unique challenges of the veterinary industry. Regardless of the unique needs of your veterinary practice, our experienced veterinary attorneys can provide you with excellent legal guidance. Please contact us today to arrange a free consultation with one of our experienced veterinary attorneys.

veterinary practice owner signing legal documents

Tips for Managing Employee Conflict in Your Veterinary Practice

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Regardless of the industry, conflict at work is inevitable. And in an emotionally charged setting, such as a veterinary practice, the odds of conflict increase. Based on survey results, the following factors are common contributors to conflict in the workplace:

  • Miscommunication
  • Lack of communication
  • Lack of clear policies and procedures 
  • Lack of enforcement of policies and procedures
  • Poor overall working conditions

Fortunately, if you are a veterinary practice owner, there are steps you can take to manage conflict among your employees when it arises. In this article, we share several tips for managing employee conflict in your veterinary practice. 

Encourage Positive Communication 

First, you should encourage positive communication among your employees. In furtherance of this, you should request ideas and feedback from staff. This will demonstrate that you value the opinions of your employees, and it will make conflict more manageable when it arises. 

Don’t Jump to Conclusions

Next, you should never jump to conclusions when addressing an employee conflict. Rather, you should always assume positive intent, thereby creating an environment that is conducive to conflict resolution. And although it is important to put a stop to poor employee behavior, it is equally important to ensure that you fully understand the situation before taking action. 

Address Conflict in Person

As the owner of a business, you must learn to be comfortable dealing with uncomfortable situations—in person. In other words, you should never address employee conflicts via email or phone. Rather, you should speak to those involved face to face and encourage them to share their sides of the story. 

Remind Employees of the Importance of Teamwork

Teamwork is necessary for a veterinary practice to thrive. Therefore, you should routinely remind your employees of the importance of working together. Not only will this help prevent conflict, but it will make conflict resolution easier. 

Choose Your Battles

Finally, you must remember to choose your battles. Minor workplace conflicts often work themselves out without managerial intervention. In fact, by inserting yourself into a minor conflict too early, you run the risk of making matters worse. On the other hand, if you get involved too late, the conflict may spin out of control. Therefore, you must work to develop the skill of identifying workplace conflict and assessing whether the time is right for you to get involved. Example of situations that typically require intervention include:

  • An employee disagreement is becoming personal
  • One or more employees are threatening to quit
  • A conflict is affecting group morale 

Contact Our Experienced Veterinary Lawyers 

At Mahan Law, our veterinary attorneys are here to help you address the challenges that accompany running a veterinary practice. Regardless of your unique needs, our lawyers have the experience and knowledge necessary to help you address your issues. At Mahan Law, we are veterinary industry veterans, and we can help you take steps to protect your practice and resolve pending legal issues. Please contact us today to arrange a free initial consultation with a talented veterinary lawyer. 

Female vet with client and dog

Protecting Your Veterinary Practice from Legal Action

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Like hospitals and other types of medical clinics, veterinary practices operate under constant threat of legal action. Unfortunately, this is simply a reality of providing healthcare service to animals. And although it isn’t possible to eliminate the risk of litigation entirely, there are several steps you can take to drastically reduce your odds of being sued. In this article, we explain how to protect your veterinary practice from legal action. 

Choose the Right Business Entity 

The type of business entity you choose for your practice can have a major effect on how protected you are from legal action. The primary benefit of structuring your veterinary practice as a business entity rather than in your own name is that a business entity lowers your liability exposure. Common veterinary business structures include corporations and limited liability corporations.  

Carry Proper Insurance

Carrying proper insurance may be the most important thing you can do to protect your veterinary practice. Insurance provides you with protection against the risks encountered by your practice on a day-to-day basis. There are several types of insurance that you should consider as a veterinary practice owner. For example, you should consider carrying professional liability insurance with coverage limits that are commensurate with the scope of your services and the types of animals you treat. An additional type of insurance you should consider is business liability insurance, which insures against risks of injuries to people that occur at your practice.  

Draft Clear Policies and Procedures

Every veterinary practice should have clear policies and procedures. Not only will this establish a uniform system of rules and guidelines for your practice, but it will be useful should legal disputes arise in the future. When developing policies and procedures, you should draft them in a manner that ensures compliance with applicable legal rules and regulations. In addition, you should establish a progressive system of discipline for your employees.

Stay Abreast of Regulatory Developments

Finally, as a veterinary practice owner, you should stay current on laws and regulations that affect the veterinary industry. Specifically, you should ensure that you are familiar with all state and federal laws affecting veterinary practices. In addition, if you have employees, you must keep up with general employment laws. Ideally, your practice’s policies and procedures will address and ensure compliance with these requirements. 

Contact Our Experienced Veterinary Lawyers 

At Mahan Law, we help veterinarians address their unique challenges. Regardless of your practice’s needs, our lawyers have the experience and knowledge necessary to help you address the issues you are facing. We have a deep understanding of the issues affecting the veterinary industry, and we can help you take steps to protect your practice and improve its overall efficiency. Please contact us today to arrange a meeting with one of our experienced and talented veterinary attorneys. 

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Hiring the Right Veterinary Attorney

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Whether you are seeking to start, buy, or sell a veterinary practice, one thing is for sure: you need an experienced veterinary attorney on your side. In addition, many of the day-to-day tasks of veterinary practices, such as hiring, firing, and drafting contracts, require legal guidance to ensure compliance with the law. In this article, we discuss the importance of hiring the right veterinary attorney to assist with common situations affecting veterinary practices. 

Hiring the Right Attorney for a Start-Up

If you are considering starting a veterinary practice, it is imperative that you hire a lawyer who provides comprehensive legal services to guide you through all phases of the process. By hiring an attorney, you gain access to a wide range of legal services to help you establish a foundation for your new business. For example, an experienced veterinary attorney can help you obtain financing, create a business plan, form a business entity, buy or lease property, and address employment issues.

Hiring the Right Attorney for a Veterinary Practice Sale or Purchase

Successfully buying or selling a veterinary practice is complicated. Therefore, if you are considering doing either, you should contact an experienced lawyer for help. Ideally, when choosing an attorney to assist you with purchasing or selling a veterinary practice, you should look for someone who has industry-specific knowledge and significant business experience. And when you do find the right attorney, he or she will provide you with guidance during every phase of the veterinary practice transaction. Specifically, an experienced lawyer will help you navigate the due diligence process, negotiate terms, and prepare the necessary legal documents.

Hiring the Right Attorney to Address Employment Issues  

If you are starting or purchasing a veterinary practice, it’s imperative that you address employment issues in a manner that is legally sound. This is where it pays to hire the right veterinary attorney. When you hire a knowledgeable attorney to assist you with employment issues, he or she will draft employment contracts that protect your business and address important issues like employment duration, benefits, compensation, termination, and restrictive covenants.  

Hiring the Right Attorney for Partnership Agreements

Finally, if you plan on going into business with partners, you need an experienced attorney to draft partnership agreements that clearly define each partner’s rights and responsibilities. Key issues to address in a partnership or shareholder agreement include management of the practice, voting rights, ownership, finances, transfer and sale restrictions, limitations on liability, restrictive covenants, partner meetings, indemnification, and dissolution.

Contact Our Experienced Veterinary Attorneys 

At Mahan Law, our veterinary attorney is here to help you face the daily challenges associated with operating a veterinary practice. Whether you need help designing policies, defending your practice against lawsuits, or conducting veterinary practice transactions, our experienced lawyers are here to help. Please contact us to schedule a free initial consultation with one of our knowledgeable veterinary attorneys.

Veterinary attorneys looking at case

Reducing Your Risk of a Veterinary Malpractice Lawsuit

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Although it’s impossible to completely eliminate the risk of litigation as a veterinary practice owner, there are several steps you can take to drastically reduce the risk of getting sued. Specifically, there are actions you can take before, during, and aftercare that can help you avoid becoming involved in lengthy legal proceedings. In this article, we discuss how to reduce your risk of a veterinary malpractice lawsuit.   

Before Providing Care

Before providing care to an animal, doing the following can reduce your risk of being faced with a malpractice lawsuit: 

Educate pet owners: You should always take the time to educate customers on the care of their pets. For example, prior to beginning treatment, you should explain the diagnosis, options for treatment, potential risks, and cost.

Never guarantee a result: Never guarantee a particular outcome when treating an animal. Rather, you should always be realistic and honest with customers about the potential outcomes of a treatment. 

Secure consent: Before treating an animal, you should obtain the written consent of the owner. 

Review the animal’s care history: If a customer’s pet has received treatment in the past from another practice, you should request the animal’s record. After receiving the record, you should review it carefully.

Don’t take on more than you can handle: Finally, if you lack the experience or equipment to perform a particular procedure, don’t do it. Instead, refer the patient to another veterinarian who has the capability to perform the procedure. 

During Care

To avoid being sued for malpractice during treatment, you should consider doing the following:

Keep detailed records: You should always keep detailed records of an animal’s treatment and be sure to note any problems encountered or departures from standard protocols.

Keep your customers updated: During the course of treatment, you should provide your customers with continuous updates. 

Adhere to identification standards: By strictly adhering to identification standards, you avoid operating on the wrong pet or body part.

After Providing Care

Finally, actions you can take to avoid being sued for malpractice after treating an animal include: 

Recommend a necropsy following a death: If an animal dies on your watch, you should recommend a necropsy to determine the cause of death. 

Always give full disclosure: Even is you encounter a problem during treatment, you should always be open and honest when discussing the issue with a pet’s owner.

Maintain your records: Finally, you should maintain each animal’s record even after treatment. And if a customer requests records, provide copies and maintain the originals. 

Contact Our Experienced Veterinary Lawyers 

At Mahan Law, our veterinary lawyer helps veterinarians address challenges that are unique to the veterinary industry. Regardless of the unique needs of your practice, our attorneys have the knowledge and experience necessary to help. At Mahan Law, we understand the veterinary industry, and we can help you avoid, prepare for, and address litigation threats. Please contact us to schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced veterinary attorneys.