Common Legal Problems with Washington DC Employment Contracts

Employment contracts can be great for some employers and specific jobs. However, even the best contract can have some legal risks involved in some situations, like a breach of contract for example. If you are a business who is looking to bring on a new employee under an employment contract, it’s important to have a knowledgeable Washington DC labor and employment law attorney draft it for you. This can help reduce the risk of legal complications and challenges down the line.

Here is a look at some of the common problems that can develop with employment contracts.

Contract is Out of Date

Employment laws can change, and that means you could be at risk for the contract being outdated. This does nothing to help protect the existing employment relationship and can wind up doing more harm than good if the paperwork doesn’t comply with the most up-to-date employment laws.

No Contract

There are employment situations where not having a contract can be rather harmful and can lead to additional problems if the terms of the employment are not outlined in writing. This can create confusion on both sides and ultimately result in legal issues if they are not clarified.

Contract is Too Long-Winded

Some employers assume longer is better. You don’t need to use 1,000 words to say what would suffice in 200. There is a misbelief that the more words you have, the better protected you are. This is not always the case. Making a contract too wordy could render the contract contradictory in some spots, or it can become unclear.

Vague Language

Sometimes you have the opposite of a long-winded contract — one that is too short and vague. Usage of vague language can increase the risk of legal problems with an employment contract. Each person who reads a passage may interpret it differently.

Making Changes in the Future

Employers have to be mindful of making changes down the line, as any business changes could wind up being contradictory to the terms of outstanding employment contracts you have with employees. This could put you in breach of a contract and give an employee grounds to bring a lawsuit. You need to get your employee to agree to any changes you make through renegotiations. If they do not want to agree, it is within their rights to reject those changes.

Invalid Contract Terms

If you have an employment contract drafted without the assistance of a Washington DC employment law attorney, you could set yourself up to have invalid terms from the start. If that happens, the contract would not be upheld in court in most cases. Depending on what aspects of the contract are invalid, a judge could rule the entire contract is invalid, or just select portions.

Contact a Washington DC Employment Law Attorney

Many of these problems lead to one main issue — enforceability. If you have a poorly drafted contract, it will be hard to get a court to enforce it. It is pointless to draw up an employment contract that won’t be enforceable in the long run. Contact the knowledgeable team of labor and employment law attorneys at Tobin O’Connor Concino P.C. today at 202-362-5900 to schedule an initial consultation.

https://www.tobinoconnor.com/overview-of-washington-dc-workers-compensation-laws/