Austin Employment Contract Attorneys
Representing Individuals in Contract Disputes and Breach of Contract Actions
Individuals that have entered into an employment contract with their employer are typically provided with a number of legal rights determined by the contract at issue. These rights range from compensation amount and structure to limitations on the timing and grounds for a termination. While such contracts provide employees with a certain amount of protection and certainty, contracts are sometimes breached or ignored by an employer. More often, disputes or questions arise over contractual language and the meaning of specific terms in the contract. Given the high stakes involved with the meaning of even one sentence in a contract, contractual disputes can quickly lead to a heated dispute or litigation.
Who is Protected By an Employment Contract?
Employees that typically possess employment contracts include doctors, corporate executives, and highly skilled professionals. These individuals typically enter into a contact of employment at the beginning of employment which provides a term and compensation structure for that term. Such employment contracts often also include non-compete agreements, non-solicitation agreements, and non-disclosure agreements.
However, in Texas, most employees do not have employee contracts and are subject to employment at will, which means that an employer may change or terminate employment for almost any reason at any time. While most employees receive offer letters and sign a number of agreements when they begin an employment, these agreements usually do not provide them with contractual rights that take them outside employment at will.
Some agreements or promises by an employer, even if they do not change the employment at will environment, may provide contractual rights to certain benefits. If you believe you have been promised something you have not received from your employer, you should contact an emploment lawyer to determine if you have contractual rights.