"'But, Your Honor...' Understanding Employment Contracts and Noncompete Agreements" - Theresa Morris, JD, PA-C

Legal situations can be confusing, and there are not a lot of resources for PA-specific challenges. This talk details various legal topics of interest - risk management, employment contracts, non-compete agreements, and forming a medical-legal partnership in your community.

At the end of the presentation, attendees should be able to:

1. Review and understand the basic structure of an employment contract

• • Required elements
  • Duties of employer and employee
  • Compensation
  • Modification/Termination

2. Review and understand the basic concept and implications of a noncompete agreement in Arkansas

1. 1. Current trend regarding Noncompete Agreements across the U.S.
   2. Current trend and law in Arkansas
   3. Important elements
   4. Violation – injunctive relief, monetary damages

3. Identify legal aspects of practice for PAs

1. • Process for a license
   • Understanding agency
   • Malpractice “insurance”

4. Understand the combination of law and medicine in this narrow application

1. • Appreciating the importance of a basic understanding of legal issues
   • Preparing properly from new hire to resignation

Speaker bio: Formerly on faculty and a member of the inaugural faculty at the UAMS PA Program of 2015, and as faculty at her alma mater of South University PA Program in Savannah, Georgia, Theresa has not lost her love of medicine and especially of being around PAs – students or those in clinical practice! She has served as an Admissions Director, Director of Clinical Education, and closed out her full time teaching career at the UAMS PA Program as the Director of Didactic Education, taking on that role just as COVID began in March of 2020. Theresa left UAMS at the end of April 2021 to work full time completing her next, and she says, last career, as an attorney.

After graduating and passing the bar exam, Theresa worked at the Office of the City Attorney for the City of Little Rock. She served as a municipal prosecutor and the Freedom of Information Act attorney. She recently began her new position as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the Sixth Judicial District covering Pulaski and Perry counties. She spends her days prosecuting felony charges and trying to help victims in our communities as well as extending a helping hand as often as possible to those who unexpectedly find themselves in the criminal justice system. She volunteers for Arkansas Access to Justice Free Legal Answers program sponsored by the

American Bar Association. Doing so allows her to spend time working with law students while helping those in need with areas of the law outside of the criminal justice arena. Theresa lives in Little Rock with her wife, Judy and their fur babies Max, Ozzie, Lucy, Baxter, and Mozart.

This activity has been reviewed by the AAPA Review Panel and is compliant with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 19 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

Approval is valid from 3/8/2024 to 3/8/2025. AAPA reference number: CME-2010808.

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