CONTRACT NEGOTIATION
FOR WOMEN IN HEALTHCARE
Negotiating in the healthcare world can often feel like you’re learning a different language while trying to advocate for yourself at the same time. I’ve worked with women in healthcare for many years and one thing I see often is women who are highly educated and still selling themselves short. As a Women’s advocate in this area, my priority is to help you navigate contract negotiations with the end goal in mind of creating the work-life balance you are looking for. So many women in this field work so hard and end up completely burnt out and feeling taken advantage of. We can work together to structure your contract in a way that you are protected and excited to step into your new role, knowing you did everything you could to move your career in the right direction.
FOR WOMEN IN THE ARTS
Working with Women in creative areas is a great Joy for me. More often than not I find women in these areas are doing incredible work but need some assistance when it comes to setting healthy boundaries with clients in order to make the business side of their art run smoothly. This is where I come in. Being able to create commission contracts and agreements around the work you do will allow you to do that work more freely. Most Creative women I know love to create but get stuck on the business development side. This is something we can talk about and create structure around to help you build up a successful business centered on what you love.
FOR WOMEN IN THE BUSINESS
Beginning a new job is both exciting and daunting. It is often our instinct to just sign the first offer we receive after glancing over the paperwork without fully understanding what we are committing to. It is also true that the majority of women will not negotiate the terms of the agreement handed to them, while the majority of men will. This is the part that I want to be a part of. Whether your goal is simply to understand what you are signing or to negotiate for an increase in pay, leave, or benefits, we can work together to make sure you are fully apprised of what you are agreeing to and your compensation package is meeting fair market value for your area and expertise.
FOR WOMEN IN BUSINESS
FORMS DEVELOPMENT
Your paperwork is the foundation of your business and the thing that will protect you when it comes to employing others as well as contracting with outside vendors and service providers. Whether you need to develop forms, policies, and procedures, or new client contracts, we can focus on your industry regulations to develop relevant and compliant documentation to support your business. I love to tell clients that Louisiana law provides for the ability to contract around literally anything, except for murder, and it’s true. So why not use your forms, policies, and procedures to protect you? While professional liability insurance is always there, you won’t need to even make a claim if your paperwork protects you on the front end. In addition, if you have recently acquired a business and aren’t sure if you have the requisite business documents to satisfy state requirements, that is something I can assist with as well.
BUYING OR SELLING A BUSINESS
If you are ready to take the next step in purchasing or selling an organization please reach out. I have experience in assisting clients with purchases and sales of healthcare organizations as well as other businesses.
BUSINESS LIABILITY & RISK ANALYSIS
No matter what business you are in, it is always important to minimize legal liability and risk. I work with clients to assess the structure of their operation, who their consumers are, and what type of company they have filed. From there, we can look at the current level of risk and talk about ways to continue to minimize that risk for the future of your business.
COUNSELORS & THERAPISTS
Working with women in the Mental health field over the past fourteen years, I recognize that the laws are constantly changing, and not usually to protect you as the Counselor. We can work on your documents and your practice procedures together to give you an additional level of client-facing protection. I have assisted women in many areas from writing declarations of practices and procedures to intervening with the state licensure board to assisting counselors in opening large successful group practices. In addition, I have a number of mental health practitioners who reach out to me with questions regarding the disclosure of information, subpoena issues, and other immediate legal needs. My offering of support for women in the mental health field is motivated by my personal belief in the incredibly important work that you do for others. To the women who help us stand in the gap, become the cycle breakers, and set the boundaries, thank you.
EMPLOYMENT ISSUES
TERMINATION
Being let go from a workplace is never in “our plan”. It’s easy to go to a place of self-blame and never ask if you were wrongfully terminated or if there was something else going on behind the scenes. Reach out if you have questions about your termination. I find more often than not, an employer fails to follow their own policies and employment contracts when terminating an employee, giving the employee grounds for compensation. The other thing I see regularly is when an employee is terminated they are not compensated properly. Whether it is their final paycheck that doesn’t include their leave time fully paid out, or their end-of-the-year bonus that gets miscalculated, having a lawyer on your team makes the organization look at things more closely and treat you fairly in the separation process.
WORKPLACE CONFLICT
During my time in the healthcare field, I served as COO of a large agency. In that role, I found that productivity and precision in an employee’s work were directly linked to their relationship with their supervisor. Where there was mutual respect, expectations were always met and usually exceeded. Where there was conflict, belittling, or avoidant interactions everyone involved suffered and the work being done was subpar. I am a licensed mediator, and conflict resolution is an area that I am very passionate about. Often when conflict occurs it is because one party, or both, are operating from their amygdala triggering a fight or flight response. It is my goal in working with individuals in conflict, to provide them with the tools to move back into the pre-frontal cortex so that they can operate from the “reasoning” portion of their brain. This requires first resetting our central nervous systems and second developing healthy communication skills. Reach out if you want to discuss your workplace dynamic and talk about resolution.
EMPLOYEE ISSUES
When you run a business it is inevitable that you will have issues that arise with your employees. The legal landscape is such that you absolutely must have policies and procedures in place to respond to any conflict that may arise. You protect yourself and your company by responding to situations according to the rules you have in place. Although Louisiana is an at-will employment state you still have to be apprised of and follow discrimination laws while making sure you are resolving conflict fairly and legally. For a disgruntled employee, filing an EEOC lawsuit will cost them nothing. Just to defend yourself against the same lawsuit can cost the employer upwards of $10,000.00 even if in the end you are the prevailing party. Setting up proper policies that are followed when employment issues arise can stop an EEOC lawsuit in its tracks because you will have the documentation to prove the legal reasons for your actions.
CLIENT FEEDBACK
“In the beginning of my career as a professional artist, I realized the need for legal support and clarity. Janell tailored contracts for my needs and gave me advice on business structure. In short, it is because of Janell that I’ve stepped into different opportunities and roles knowing I’m prepared.
It’s given me confidence, protection and the ability to focus on growth without fear. Her advice and guidance has been invaluable for me. I’m so thankful to have her in my corner.”
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