Take on a new senior employee

We will help you put a senior employment contract in place that actually protects the investment you are making in the hire.

You have found the right person for a senior role, agreed the package, and now you need a contract that reflects the seriousness of the hire instead of the same template you use for everyone else. Senior people are exposed to client relationships, confidential information, and strategic direction within months of starting, and the contract is the only thing standing between you and a difficult exit later. We draft senior employment agreements every week for Australian businesses, and we deal with the issues that matter at the top of an organisation: equity, bonuses, restraints, garden leave, IP, and clean exit pathways. You get a contract that is done properly the first time, signed quickly, and worth having when the relationship eventually changes.

Remuneration and incentive terms that align the executive with the business.

Restraints and confidentiality protections that survive the executive's departure.

Exit terms that are unambiguous when the relationship ends.

A senior hire is too important to put on a generic contract.

The contract travels with the executive through onboarding, performance management, equity vesting, and exit. Get it drafted properly at the start and you save the much larger cost of fixing it under pressure later.

A senior contract that was good enough at signing rarely holds up at exit.

You have identified the right person for a senior role, agreed the package, and now you need a contract that reflects the seniority of the position rather than a stock template. The risk is not in the day-one terms. It is in what happens twelve months later when restraints, equity vesting, or confidentiality become live issues and the contract has nothing useful to say.

We will draft a senior employment contract tailored to the role, the business, and the package.
We will scope restraint clauses so they protect what actually needs protecting and stand up under scrutiny.
We will integrate the contract with any equity, option, or bonus scheme so the terms work together.
We will structure garden leave, notice, and exit provisions to make any departure orderly.
We will deal with intellectual property assignment, confidentiality, and post-employment obligations.

You have found the right person for an important senior role, and you want the employment agreement to protect the investment you are making.

You have run the recruitment process, made the offer, and the candidate has accepted. The package is significant, the role carries real responsibility, and the person is going to be exposed to client relationships, confidential information, and strategic direction within months of starting. You know a stock template is not the right fit for this hire, but you also know that working your way through restraints, equity, and termination provisions is not how you should be spending your week. The contract needs to be done properly and quickly, so the executive can start and the business can move on.

What's included in your senior employment contract service

Drafting the senior employment agreement tailored to the role.
Scoping and drafting post-employment restraints with cascading durations and geographic scopes.
Integrating the contract with equity or incentive scheme rules.
Garden leave, notice, and termination provisions.
Confidentiality and intellectual property terms.
High income threshold guarantee where applicable.
Review of any sign-on bonus, sign-on equity, or buyout terms.

What happens when a senior contract is not fit for the role?

Senior departures rarely go smoothly. When the contract was a generic template, the points the business needs most (enforceable restraints, clear treatment of unvested equity, a workable garden leave clause, clean IP return obligations) are often the points that turn out to be missing, vague, or unenforceable. The executive leaves, sets up a competing operation or joins a competitor, takes the client relationships with them, and the only remedy is a contested injunction with uncertain prospects. The cost of fixing the contract after the fact, in the middle of a dispute, is many times what it would have cost to draft it properly at the outset.

Here is how we draft the senior contract so it works at hire and at exit.

We start by understanding the role, the package, and the commercial relationships the executive will be exposed to. We then draft a contract that captures the remuneration structure clearly, scopes restraints to protect the actual interests at risk, integrates with any equity plan rules so the treatment on termination is consistent, and gives the business meaningful protections around garden leave, confidentiality, and IP. The drafting happens quickly because we have done this many times and we know which clauses do real work and which are window dressing. You sign a contract that protects the investment now and holds up if the relationship comes to an end.

Three steps to a senior contract that protects the hire and the business.

Scoped, drafted, signed.

Scope the role.

We meet with you to understand the position, the package, and the commercial risks the contract needs to address.

Draft the contract.

We prepare the senior employment agreement and the restraints, integrated with any equity or incentive plan rules.

Negotiate and execute.

We deal with any feedback from the executive's lawyers and finalise the contract for signing.

Senior employment lawyers who draft contracts for Australian executives and the businesses that hire them.

Hiring a senior employee is one of the biggest single decisions a growing business makes, and the contract is the only piece of paper that protects the value of that decision over the long term. Our employment team drafts senior agreements regularly for businesses across professional services, technology, healthcare, and family enterprise, and we deal with the lawyers on the other side without unnecessary friction. We know which clauses to fight for, which to compromise, and how to keep the negotiation moving so the executive can start on the date you both committed to. The contract you sign is one you should not need to look at again until the relationship changes.

We understand you want to know the cost, before we get started.

We will map out our process, from beginning to end, so you know what the journey will look like before you get started.

We will provide you with a clear and detailed Work Proposal covering each step along the way.

Our fair fees are all-inclusive. No hidden costs for telephone calls, emails, photocopying, couriers, or coffee.

Our great lawyer guarantee

We want to be part of your team over the long term. We achieve this by adhering to these core principles:

Take the time

We listen carefully to understand what you want to achieve. Then we thoroughly explain our advice and step you through the documents. You can be sure you know the full consequences.

Share our knowledge

We will pass on as much knowledge as we can, so you can make your own informed decisions. We want to make you truly independent.

Stick to our knitting

We only do what we're good at. You can be confident that we know what we're doing and don't pass on the cost of our learning.

Work as one team

Someone will always be available to answer your questions, or point you in the right direction. You will also benefit from a range of perspectives and experience.

Fair pricing

For advice and documents, we provide a fixed or capped quote so you don't take price risk. If you're in a dispute, we map out the process and costs so you know what to expect.

It's your show

We're not in this for our egos. We're in it for a front row seat to witness your success.

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