Veterinary practice involves a wide variety of legal issues. Our experienced attorneys can assist you with all of the legal aspects of your practice. We offer full-service legal representation and consulting services to veterinarians, veterinary clinics, and animal hospitals throughout the entire lifecycle of your business from startup to transfer of ownership.

Business Entity Formation and Governance

Our attorneys work with you to determine what type of entity to form and prepare the necessary organizational and governance documentation to provide the flexibility and protection you desire.  We continue to provide advice on compliance, tax, regulatory and other governance matters, and our merger and acquisition team is always available should your practice decide to grow via acquisition.

Our attorneys have assisted with forming business entities, such as corporations, limited liability companies and professional limited liability companies.  We have also prepared, reviewed and negotiated business transaction documents such as offer letters, letters of intent, confidentiality agreements, and term sheets.

Transfer of Ownership

We also facilitate structuring and negotiating associate buy-ins; specialty, multi-specialty and general practice partnership agreements; and partner successions and withdrawals from veterinary practices. We have been involved in a number of  acquisitions and divestitures of veterinary practices, handling the negotiation, documentation and completion of the transaction. We also assist with the reorganization and restructuring of enterprises as well as the purchase, sale or transfer of business interests.

Employment Matters

We provide counseling in all areas of employment law, including drafting employee handbooks; resolving employee/employer disputes; drafting and negotiating owner, associate, practice manager employment agreements; and drafting non-compete, non-solicitation, confidentiality, and other restrictive covenants. Our employment attorneys also advise and guide our veterinary clients on how to properly hire, terminate and manage employees.

Real Estate

Tucker Arensberg’s real estate practice includes seasoned attorneys that have decades of experience in leasing, acquisitions and sales of real estate, financing, zoning and land planning, tax assessment, appeals, and exemptions, environmental issues and contractors’ and architects’ contracts.

Contract Drafting and Negotiation

Contracts with equipment suppliers, pharmaceutical companies, marketing agencies, lenders and other third parties must be drafted with appropriate protections and remedies. If a third party’s conduct or product is responsible for harm to one of your animal patients or civil or criminal allegations against you or your practice, you need to have done everything possible to ensure that the right party will ultimately be held responsible.

Intellectual Property

Our attorneys work closely with our clients to protect their intellectual property including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.

Professional Licensure Defense

You have invested a lot of time and money in receiving your professional license. Disciplinary proceedings can result in license suspension or even revocation. If you are facing a complaint from an animal owner, an administrative complaint, or if any other event has triggered disciplinary action that puts your license in jeopardy, you need to do everything possible to defend your right to practice. Our lawyers have extensive experience in the area of professional license defense, and we can represent you in all stages of pre-hearing defense, administrative hearings, and appeals.