Business Contracts

A lease agreement allows a landlord and tenant to create a rental contract for the renting of property for either commercial or residential property. There are different types of lease agreements, including, but not limited to:

• Standard Residential Lease Agreement – to be used for residential tenancies with a start and end date.
• Month-to-Month Lease Agreement – also known as a “tenancy at will” has a commencement date and must end with at least one month’s notice.
• Room Rental (Roommate) Agreement – to be used for individuals in a shared housing arrangement, so that they may be able to set parameters around the payment of bills and the usage of common areas.
• Commercial Lease Agreement – to be used for the purpose of a business use, such as retail (store), industrial, office and any other commercial type.

An employment agreement is a binding document signed by an employer and an employee when the latter is onboarded for a position. The employment agreement spells out the rules, rights and responsibilities of both the employer and the employee and includes any special obligations or terms that are unique to the position. These agreements remain active throughout the entire tenure of the signing employee, unless it is replaced by a new employment agreement with modified terms.

A non-competition agreement is a contract between employers and employees that prevent employees from competing with their employers for a specific period of time after termination of employment. These agreements are meant to protect the employer’s business interests, trade secrets and confidential information. Under Maryland law, agreements not to compete are enforceable only if they are reasonable in duration, geographic scope and type of activities restricted. The duration of the non-compete agreement must be limited to the time necessary to protect the employer’s legitimate business interests and cannot extend indefinitely.

A non-disclosure agreement, also known as a confidentiality agreement, is a legally binding agreement, wherein a person or business mutually agrees and promises to treat particular information as a trade secret. The person or business also promises not to disclose those trade secrets to others, without proper and prior authorization. The agreement also gives the legal recourse against a breaching party.

A vendor agreement is a contract between two parties covering the exchange of goods or services in return for compensation. Vendor agreements establish the business relationship conditions and includes the details of each party’s obligations. The parties involved will understand what is expected in terms of deliverables, payment, etc., during an exchange of goods or services and the consequences if those expectations are not met.