How may we help you? 617-935-3272
How may we help you? 617-935-3272
Welcome to The Reinstein Law Firm. As a healthcare attorney, I’m dedicated to helping medical professionals advance their careers, build and expand private practices, comply with HIPAA, Stark, etc., negotiate hospital contracts, and deal with all sorts of legal issues that arise. As a Massachusetts healthcare startup lawyer, I love to help small businesses grow, expand, and thrive.
I often receive calls from people who have some fears about hiring an attorney. Usually, they’re in the early stages of negotiating some sort of business relationship, and they think they might need a lawyer’s advice, but they’re worried that the very act of hiring a lawyer is going to irritate, or offend, or even anger the other side.
Does that describe you? Please give me a minute to try to set your mind at ease.
Let’s say you’re a medical professional. Maybe you’re planning to form a private practice in Newton, or sell your practice on the North Shore, or affiliate with a national pathology laboratory. Maybe you’re considering a job offer from a hospital in New York, or a clinic in Burlington, or a biotech company in Cambridge. You need an experienced Massachusetts health care attorney on your side.
Or maybe you’re the founder of a new business, and you’re trying to navigate the difficult relationship between startup co-founders. Or you run a small business and you’re trying to raise capital, hire employees, or engage a web developer.
No matter who you are, the fact is that pretty much no one – from the newly graduated resident to the most senior medical eminence, from the first-time startup founder to the seasoned businessperson – is truly comfortable negotiating for themselves. Important contracts involve difficult issues that can’t be ignored. Compensation. Termination. Non-competes. Schedule control. The detailed legal mechanics that define the rights and obligations of the contract. These are tough issues. They have to be carefully reviewed and discussed.
Are you comfortable talking these things through with your potential new partner? Your new boss? Do you feel that you’ll be able to protect your interests?
It gets worse.
If you’re a medical professional, you’ve probably noticed the increasing corporatization of medicine. For better or for worse, the era of the handshake agreement is receding into the past. The people with whom you deal on the business side of your practice – the hospitals, clinics, employees, labs, and vendors – have their own Massachusetts health care lawyers.
If you’re a startup founder or business owner, this applies equally. The offer letters, term sheets, and contracts that you receive were drafted by lawyers. Lawyers who are professionally obligated to represent their clients’ best interests. Not yours.
That’s why it’s wise to hire an attorney of your own. (Surprising that an attorney would recommend hiring an attorney, right?) Someone to help you understand the risks, illuminate the pitfalls, and protect your interests.
Even though you might agree that you’d be wise to do so, you might still be worried about the signal that you’re sending the other side by hiring an attorney. Will it seem hostile? Will they get mad at you?
Here’s a useful way of looking at the situation. The transaction that you’re considering is important, and the arrangement is complex. Hiring an attorney to help with a negotiation is a clear signal to the other side that you are taking things seriously. That’s good! You’re demonstrating that you’re invested in the process and that you’re committed to reaching an agreement that is fair to both sides.
And if your lawyer is respectful, prepared, friendly, knowledgeable, smart, efficient, and creative, you can achieve some pretty great results.
I work hard to be that lawyer.
If you think you might need an attorney, let’s talk. We can discuss your situation, your concerns, and how we might work together to achieve the best possible result for you. Give me a call or send me an email. I’ll be delighted to hear from you.
Ezra
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