Illinois Executive Employment Agreement Lawyer

Every sophisticated business retains legal counsel to draft and analyze all executive employment agreements. Yet many times even the most sophisticated of executives goes without a lawyer of his or her own. Trusting their own untrained legal judgment, many executives who otherwise exercise impeccable business discretion allow the excitement of a new position to carry them away. In doing so, executives do a better job of protecting the interests of the business they serve than of protecting their own interests or the interests of their families.

Attorney Ruth Major regularly changes how executives across all of Chicagoland approach their own employment agreements. Just as every reasonable business has someone with trained legal judgment reviewing its agreements, so should executives have someone with trained legal judgment reviewing theirs. Ms. Major provides legal opinions on executive employment agreements before, during and after the agreements are finalized.

Receive a Professional Legal Opinion Regarding Your Employment Agreement

Ms. Major provides a comprehensive legal opinion with respect to any executive employment agreement. Three particular provisions, however, often serve as the grounds of disputes and unfairness:

  • For Cause severance provisions
  • Compensation terms
  • Non-compete agreements

For Cause Severance Provisions

Of these three provisions, Ms. Major will tell you that the largest number of disputes concern the For Cause severance provision in an executive employment agreement. When she reviews your agreement, Ms. Major will provide a legal opinion as to whether the agreement is drafted in such a way so as to protect your interests fairly. If the For Cause does not adequately protect your interests, then Ms. Major can craft an effective and reasonable counter-provision that you can confidently bring to the negotiating table. If your agreement has already been signed and subsequent negotiation proves fruitless, she can draw on her considerable success in the courtroom and take your case to trial.

Compensation Terms

Not surprisingly, compensation terms provide yet another ground for common disputes regarding the executive employment agreement. But these terms normally involve not the amount an executive may have agreed to, but the conditions under which an executive will actually receive that amount. Often carefully worded to provide the employer with maximum leverage concerning compensation, compensation terms are nevertheless poorly scrutinized even by the most successful executives when they are agreeing to the terms of employment. Ruth Major will review your agreement to determine whether, under the law, you are in fact contracting to receive what you think you are contracting to receive as compensation. These compensation terms include both money and health benefits, among other forms of compensation such as stock options and other investment opportunities related to the business.

Non-Compete

Perhaps no other executive employment agreement provision has seen the increase in disputes that the non-compete provisions now see. Obviously, a non-compete provision should be thoroughly scrutinized by someone with trained and experienced legal judgment prior to being signed. But even if an executive has signed an agreement containing such a provision, Ms. Major can still advise that executive as to how to manage the effects of that non-compete provision, possibly even overcoming the provision entirely.

Discuss Your Issue With Chicago Attorney Ruth Major

To receive discreet legal counsel regarding your employment matter from an Illinois executive employment agreement attorney, contact Ms. Major by calling 312-893-7544. You can also contact her firm online to schedule a consultation.