Associate & Partnership Agreements
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PFM Dental
Legal
Having a well-drafted agreement setting out the rights and obligations of all parties is essential to avoid disputes occurring.
A lot of the practice disputes we see arise either from the lack of a written agreement being in place or from a badly-drafted agreement.
As dental legal specialists we can put in place a written agreement which accurately records the financial matters within the practice, whether between partners or with associates. We set out agreed expectations, such as the level of contribution required from each party. We will also ensure clear and fair procedures to cover all eventualities such as voluntary retirements, death and critical illness.
Common contracts in dental practices
Partnership Agreements
Ensuring your agreement reflects the way you’d like to work together.
Associate Agreements
Whether this be with the previous owner or existing associates at the practice.
NHS Contract Changes
We ensure your NHS contract is changed to reflect any new partners in the business.
FAQs
Can you draft partnership, expense share and shareholder agreements?
Yes, we will discuss this with you and ensure we put in place the agreements needed to protect you moving forward.
Whilst all partnerships start with the best intention, it’s important to establish a valid partnership agreement from outset. We can help draft the vital contracts that agree how the practice will be run, how profit and loss will be divided, how expenses will be shared and what happens if a principal retires, becomes ill or dies.
Do I need to change the NHS contract when I add a partner?
Yes, we can support you with this process to ensure it happens at the right time.
Do I need to change the CQC registration?
When moving from one type of legal entity to another, or if you’re adding or removing partners, the CQC need to know. We can support with this alongside contracts.
Do you have fixed fees?
Our work can typically be the subject of a fixed fee for this service.
Do you help with self-employed status of associates?
The self-employed status of associate dentists is currently a “hot topic” via courts and tribunals and HMRC. As dental legal specialists we can help put in place a written agreement which maximises the chances of the arrangement being one of genuine self-employment and minimises the risk of creating “employee” or “worker” status.
We can also advise as to how the arrangement should be conducted in practice to preserve self-employed status.
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