At Portalatin Business Law Firm, we help businesses and founders across Florida draft, review, and update employment contracts. Since April 2017, our clients have included international entrepreneurs and business owners building teams in Florida.
An employment contract review means looking at the agreement from the employer’s side and making sure each provision does what your business needs it to do. That includes defining compensation, termination rights, confidentiality obligations, intellectual property ownership, restrictive covenants, dispute procedures, and the expectations that apply throughout the employment relationship.
Florida enforces non-compete clauses under Florida Statute 542.335. The statute requires restrictions to be reasonable in time and geography, making careful drafting especially important for businesses that want to protect client relationships, confidential information, specialized training, or other legitimate business interests.
Contracts explained in English and Spanish
We are a bilingual firm, speaking Spanish and English. Business owners can discuss employment agreements and workforce concerns in the language they are most comfortable using. Se habla español.
Prevention before dispute
The firm builds employment contracts that reduce ambiguity before problems arise rather than waiting until a disagreement turns into litigation. That same forward-looking approach carries into related protections like confidentiality terms, where working with an NDA lawyer in Florida can help protect sensitive company information from the start.
Super Lawyers Rising Stars, since 2022
Founding attorney Jessica Portalatin has earned this recognition four consecutive years, a distinction given to roughly the top 2.5% of Florida attorneys. She also holds a 4.9 out of 5.0 peer rating on Martindale-Hubbell.
Built for founders and professionals
The firm regularly advises international founders entering the U.S. market, including businesses navigating executive compensation, bonus structures, confidentiality obligations, and intellectual property ownership.
Contract questions carry real weight, and clients are met with patience rather than pressure.
Every question gets a plain answer, plus a clear recommendation on what to do next.
Clients often discover protections in their agreements they had no idea were available to them.
Helpful when a signing deadline is days away and you need an answer, not a waiting game.
Founders and professionals get the reasoning behind each clause, not just a red-lined document.
That standard is reflected in the firm’s 4.3-star rating across hundreds of Miami clients and a 4.9/5.0 Martindale-Hubbell peer rating.
Both may work with employment law, but they often become involved at different stages. An employment contract lawyer focuses on building and reviewing agreements before a dispute begins. That can include drafting offer letters, employment agreements, non-competes, confidentiality clauses, severance provisions, executive compensation terms, and intellectual property protections.
A broader employment lawyer may become involved once a dispute has already developed, such as a discrimination claim, wage dispute, termination issue, or lawsuit.
For a business that is hiring, restructuring roles, protecting proprietary information, or updating outdated agreements, the contract side is about prevention. Florida Statute 542.335 also makes careful drafting especially important where an employer wants to protect legitimate business interests through restrictive covenants.
Employment agreements should also be revisited as the company changes. Promotions, acquisitions, remote work arrangements, new compensation structures, and expansion into new markets can all make an older contract less suitable for the current relationship.
Portalatin Business Law Firm opened in April 2017 and is led by Jessica Portalatin, a Florida Bar member in good standing named to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list, a recognition reserved for roughly the top 2.5% of attorneys in Florida.
Her peers rate her 4.9 out of 5.0 through Martindale-Hubbell for legal knowledge, communication, and judgment.
The focus is proactive legal strategy by building strong contracts that reduce liability before a dispute exists, rather than reacting after one starts.
According to Visit Florida’s tourism industry research, Florida’s hospitality sector supported approximately 1.7 million jobs in 2023, creating a high volume of employment relationships where poorly drafted contracts can expose businesses to real wage and hour liability. Clear terms, agreed in writing at the start, keep both sides out of that exposure.
1. Initial Virtual Meeting
We start by discussing your business, the position you are hiring for, the risks you want to address, and the Florida law that applies. Consultations are available in English andSpanish by video so that it is easier for your schedule.
2. Contract Needs Assessment
We identify exactly which documents your business needs. That may include an offer letter, executive employment agreement, independent contractor agreement, non-compete, confidentiality agreement, or severance document.
3. Drafting Or Review
We prepare the contract from scratch or review the agreement your business already uses, aligning the provisions with Florida statutes and applicable federal law.
4. Explanation And Revision
We walk you through the agreement in plain language, explain what each important provision protects, and revise the document until it reflects the employment relationship your business intends to create.
5. Ongoing Legal Partner
We revisit employment agreements as your business grows or Florida employment law changes, helping prevent contracts from quietly becoming outdated.
They can be. Florida Statute 542.335 allows employers to enforce reasonable restrictive covenants when they are supported by a legitimate business interest, such as client relationships, trade secrets, confidential information, or specialized training and are reasonable in geography and time.
Not necessarily. A contract that works for an entry-level employee may not adequately address the responsibilities, compensation, confidentiality access, or competitive risk associated with an executive, salesperson, healthcare professional, or technical employee.
Under F.S. 542.335, a non-compete of six months or less is presumed reasonable for a former employee, while a restriction lasting more than two years is presumed unreasonable. Agreements falling between those periods may depend on the circumstances.
The agreement may address compensation, duties, benefits, confidentiality, intellectual property ownership, restrictive covenants, termination procedures, notice requirements, dispute resolution, and any role-specific obligations.
An employer may seek an injunction asking the court to stop conduct that violates an enforceable restrictive covenant and may also pursue other available remedies depending on the agreement and circumstances.
No. At-will employment generally allows either side to end the employment relationship, but a written agreement can still define compensation, confidentiality, intellectual property ownership, restrictive covenants, notice requirements, and other obligations that continue during or after employment.
The distinction depends on the actual working relationship, not simply what the agreement calls the worker. Factors such as control over the work, scheduling, equipment, independence, and the nature of the relationship can affect classification.
Do not put your business at risk.
Contact us today to review your current employment contracts or draft new ones that protect what you built.
