image of city in florida with blue sky and white clouds

Are you ready to own your own veterinary practice, but you’re having trouble figuring out how to begin? Are you already a practice owner looking to expand your business? LaMaster Law has years of experience helping veterinarians like you develop their businesses and ensure protection from unforeseen legal issues.   Some of the services we offer include:

Starting Your Own Veterinary Practice in Florida

Starting your own veterinary practice in Florida can be an exciting time for many professionals. However, the actual processes of starting a business can be intimidating. LaMaster Law offers guidance and advice curated specifically to your needs as a practicing veterinarian, from the inception of your business entity to drafting associate agreements when hiring new veterinarians or staff, to negotiating office leases or even purchasing real estate.

To give you a quick edge in bringing your veterinary practice to its feet, our firm offers CE-approved seminars throughout the state of Florida. Our seminars focus on the key points of the legal process and will give you a distinct advantage in owning and operating a veterinary practice in Florida.

Buying or Selling a Veterinary Practice in Florida

  • Letters of Intent- the initial document that states the purchaser’s intent to acquire the assets or equity of the veterinary practice.
  • Purchase Agreements- a contract at its core that details the means of sale and the process by which the transaction will proceed.
  • Non-Compete and Non-Solicit Agreements- protections for the buyer that involves establishing boundaries between potentially competing businesses so as not to impede on the potential growth of the already-existing practice as it changes hands.
  • Bills of Sale- essentially a receipt documenting the transaction between the Buyer and the Seller.

At the closing of your transition, LaMaster Law will represent you to ensure that you are comfortable with your new purchase or sale of your veterinary practice.

Florida Veterinary Associate Agreements

After you have established the location of your new veterinary practice, the next step may involve hiring associate veterinary professionals to join your team. In this instance, it’s critical to have an experienced attorney create associate agreements that establish the framework of your employer employee relationship.

Associate agreements are a “win- win” for both the employer and the employee. They provide written documentation as to the parties’ goals and expectations and recognize the great number of legal issues involved. Our firm helps you build agreements that focus on these issues and establish a firm legal foundation for your company. These often include an employee’s status, wage compensation and incentives, fringe benefits such as health insurance, expectations of a working atmosphere, and even policies for termination that include non-compete, non-solicit and confidentiality agreements. LaMaster Law also provides services to establish partnership agreements between multiple parties if you feel inclined that co-ownership of a business is in your best interests. We focus on points that include authority granted in making decisions that impact your business as well as conflicts of interest.

Our founding attorney, Matt LaMaster, has given lectures throughout the state of Florida to employees unfamiliar with these agreements and their potentially crippling consequences.  If you are in this position, don’t hesitate to contact us upon reception of your offer.  It is critical that no agreement is signed without first discussing the agreement with an experienced attorney familiar with the practice of veterinary medicine.

LaMaster Law is always prepared in the event an employment dispute were to arise.  We welcome the challenge to negotiate such disputes and work closely with litigation attorneys should a mutual agreement become impractical.

Buying or Selling Real Estate in Florida

For the veterinary professional who is looking to own their own business as well as the property, LaMaster Law can work with a team of professionals to help you in your search for commercial real estate in Florida. We leverage the experience and expertise of many field specialists, from accountants, to brokers, practice consultants, and veterinary practice lenders in putting you on the best path for success and long-term affordability of your property. We also help every step of the way once you have decided upon the particular real estate in which you are interested.

We at LaMaster Law also understand that the expenses of your office real estate are one of the highest costs associated with your business.  This is true whether you lease or own your own office space. For this reason, having an experience attorney advocating on your behalf can be essential to success. We will guide you to the beginning stages of the purchasing process, during which we will counsel you on the legal documents, starting with your letter of intent to purchase the property, through the closing. With such as substantial amount of money involved and critical terms of the agreements often overlooked, the importance of seeking legal assistance prior to signing any documentation cannot be overstated.  Please contact us as soon as you made the decision to buy or sell your real estate and we can help you prepare accordingly.

Lease Negotiations in Florida

If you don’t intend on buying your own property, then you will still need a location to start or continue your veterinary practice. LaMaster Law offers services to negotiate lease arrangements on your behalf with a landlord so you can stay focused on growing your veterinary practice.

We will work to provide the most beneficial lease agreement possible to you while establishing and maintaining good faith with all parties involved. We at LaMaster Law use our expertise to review the terms of the lease and negotiate the items in the lease that may lead to problems down the road. We also negotiate lease arrangements that minimize your financial obligation and personal liability.

Feel free to contact LaMaster Law if you are interested in starting or leasing a veterinary office, hiring an associate, or buying or selling a veterinary practice in Florida. We will be happy to offer our expertise in business law to help you reach your long-term goals.