Practice formation, associate agreements, lease negotiations, HR compliance, and transition planning for dental practice owners.
Dental practices combine clinical care with small business management in ways that create specific legal needs around practice formation, associate employment, equipment financing, and eventual transition planning. Whether you are opening your first practice, bringing on associates, or planning for retirement, lawyers provide the business-focused legal counsel that helps your practice thrive. The team understands the dental industry's unique dynamics — from DSO activity to associateship structures to the importance of patient base valuation.
Setting up the right professional entity for your dental practice, including multi-location structures, partnership arrangements, and governance frameworks.
Drafting associate dentist agreements, hygienist employment contracts, staff policies, and compensation structures.
Negotiating office leases, dental equipment financing agreements, and technology vendor contracts.
Advising on practice acquisitions, buy-ins, buy-outs, DSO partnerships, and retirement transition planning.
Core practice areas that support dental practices businesses.
The answer depends on your state's requirements for dental practice ownership, the number of owners, and your tax planning goals. Both structures provide liability protection, but they differ in governance flexibility and tax treatment. Your lawyer can help you choose the right fit.
Essential terms include compensation structure (salary, production-based, or hybrid), patient assignment, schedule expectations, non-compete provisions, buy-in path, and termination terms. A well-drafted agreement protects the practice and creates a clear framework for the associate relationship.
Start by getting a professional valuation based on revenue, patient base, location, equipment, and staff. Your lawyer helps prepare the practice for sale, identify potential buyers (including DSOs and individual dentists), structure the deal, and negotiate terms that protect your financial interests and legacy.
A Dental Service Organization (DSO) provides business management services to dental practices in exchange for a management fee or ownership stake. DSOs can offer scale, operational support, and liquidity, but the terms vary widely. Your lawyer can help evaluate DSO offers and negotiate arrangements that protect your clinical autonomy and financial interests.
Schedule a consultation to discuss your dental practices business needs.