North Texas Dentistry Volume 4 Issue 2 | Page 22

practice transition STOP SELLING AN ASSOCIATE’S PRACTICE Bleeding! THE by Richard V. Lyschik, DDS, FAGD Five years ago, Dr. Young began practicing as an Associate of Dr. Old. Neither party ever established their reasons for entering into an associateship arrangement. Dr. Young was not prepared to make a commitment to the practice and did not want a restrictive covenant, and Dr. Old did not want to spend the money to draw up an agreement, so a contract never existed. They decided to practice together for a while, see how they got along, and then someday have a contract written up. As time passed, the contract idea was forgotten, and no agreement was ever consummated. 22 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com