Practicing As An Associate: Common Provisions Found In Associate Agreements

Many new graduates will decide to enter a professional practice by joining an existing practice as an associate.  An associate agreement is an agreement that governs the business relationship between the professional or the corporation that owns the practice (for the purposes of this article, referred to as the principal) and the associate, being the professional who is hired to provide his or her services at the practice. When joining a practice as an associate, it is beneficial to have an associate agreement in place that governs the relationship and expectations of all parties. The associate and the principal should carefully consider the terms of the associate arrangement prior to entering into the associate agreement.