Independent Contractor Agreement Drafting in Houston
Bringing independent contractors onboard can help you make the most of your company’s budget, use individuals’ skills in the most efficient way possible, and create a cohesive team that works together to support the company’s mission. Find out how an independent contractor agreement can lay the groundwork for success, prevent employment claims and keep everyone working in harmony—and how the team at Roger G. Jain & Associates, P.C. can help you draft agreements that are legally enforceable.
When you choose the team of attorneys at Roger G. Jain & Associates, P.C., you get the expertise of our large and diverse team. Our law firm is led by founder and attorney Roger G. Jain. In addition to his decades spent taking cases in criminal and civil court, he has also built valuable relationships with Houston-area businesses by helping them through complex issues, agreement drafting, and employment lawsuits.
Located within Merlyn Plaza, Roger G. Jain & Associates, P.C. is found at 9301 Southwest Freeway Suite 250 in Houston, Texas. We’re just a few minutes off of I-69, which makes us easy for anyone to access—no matter where you’re coming from in the Houston metro area. Our goal is to see your business succeed, and we believe that independent contractor agreement drafting can be a key part of that. Call us at 713-981-0600 or get in touch online to set up a consultation now.
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Key Elements to Include in an Independent Contractor Agreement
A comprehensive independent contract agreement is an essential part of a productive working relationship. Contractors with specific tasks, a clear scope of work, and set deadlines are better able to direct their own work and contribute to the project at hand.
Payment terms must be included in your agreement. Disputes and misunderstandings over compensation have damaged many productive working relationships, and setting these expectations ahead of time can ensure that everyone is on the same page. You may also want to include information on any expenses that will be reimbursed and how reimbursement must be requested.
Confidentiality clauses are another important part of many effective independent contractor agreements. If the contractors you bring in will have access to sensitive information, they must agree to keep your business secrets private and avoid using them in the future when working with competitors. Along the same lines, you may want to outline intellectual property rights—who will maintain ownership of the contractor’s work at the conclusion of the project? This can protect you from finding out that your business’s assets have been reused by the contractor with future clients.
A termination clause can protect both you and the contractor. Specifying when either party can end the contract and the consequences for doing so can prevent complicated and messy ends to working relationships. Common reasons to terminate a contractor relationship include non-payment, failure to deliver work, and breach of contract.
Dispute resolution clauses can help protect your business from costly and time-consuming lawsuits. If everyone involved agrees to settle disputes via alternative dispute resolution methods, you can keep these disputes and their outcomes private.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Drafting an Independent Contractor Agreement
One key mistake that we see time and time again is the choice to reuse the same agreement for different contractors on different projects. When you do this, you run the risk of including unnecessary terms, leaving out important clauses, and trusting your business to unenforceable contracts. Contracts must be revisited for each contractor and each project, and they should also be reviewed periodically to address changes in the law and industry standards.
Perhaps one of the most common independent contractor agreement mistakes is the failure to use one at all. It’s easy to assume that an agreement is unnecessarily formal when everyone is onboard at the start of a project, but contracts aren’t there for when everything is going smoothly—they are there to guide you when things begin to go wrong.
How Roger G. Jain & Associates, P.C. Can Help Your Business
Contract law is a complex area of legal practice, and attempting a DIY approach to independent contractor agreements can leave you with contracts that lack important clauses, include illegal clauses, and hold no legal weight. Our extensive knowledge of local, state, and federal law allows us to draft effective, personalized contracts for every situation and every business.
Working with independent contractors is an excellent way to tackle specific tasks and create the best team for each project. Let us help you draft agreements that keep everyone working together. Call our law firm at 713-981-0600 or reach out online.