Sample Business Contracts


Employment Agreement - eResearchTechnology and Joseph Esposito

Employment Forms

  • Employers can customize an employment agreement that states the salary, benefits, working hours and other important provisions for their new or existing employee.
  • Answer simple questions to build a contract with a consultant. Specify the services rendered, when payment is due, as well as IP rights.
  • Employers who compensate their sales employees based on commissions can prepare an agreement to reduce misunderstandings by specifying the base salary and how commissions are calculated.
  • Companies may offer their business executives a contract that is different from the one provided to their regular employees. Executive employment agreements may be more complex because the compensation structure may include a combination of salary and commissions, provide for bonuses based on sales, stock or other financial targets, and include non-compete, confidentiality and severance provisions.
  • Independent sales representatives offer companies the potential to increase the sale of products or services without the burden of increasing headcount. Both parties should understand how commissions are calculated, when commissions will be paid, as well as how the representative will treat confidential information from the company and whether the representative may also sell a competing line of products or services.
  • More Employment Agreements

[LOGO]

  eResearchTechnology
  Enabling the Clinical Advantage
A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Premier Research Worldwide, Ltd


                         MANAGEMENT EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT


The following agreement is hereby entered into between, Joseph
Esposito (hereinafter known as Employee) and eResearchTechnology (together with
its affiliated corporations hereinafter known as the "Company") and having its
principal offices at 30 S. 17th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103


1.       DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

         Employee agrees to hold the position of President and Chief Executive
         Officer and shall be directly responsible to Board of Directors.

2.       BEST EFFORTS

         Employee agrees to devote his best efforts to his employment with the
         Company, on a full-time (no less than 40 hours/week) basis. He further
         agrees not to use the facilities, personnel or property of the Company
         for personal or private business benefit.

3.       ETHICAL CONDUCT

         Employee will conduct himself in a professional and ethical manner at
         all times and will comply with all company policies as well as all
         State and Federal regulations and laws as they may apply to the
         services, products, and business of the Company.

4.       TERM OF THE AGREEMENT

         This agreement will be for a period of one year, commencing January 1,
         2000 and will continue from year to year unless terminated.

5.       COMPENSATION

         a.       Salary shall be $270,000/year payable in equal installments as
                  per the company's payroll policy. Salary shall be considered
                  on an annual basis and adjusted based on performance.

         b.       Benefits shall be the standard benefits of the Company as they
                  shall exist from time to time with the exception of vacation
                  which will be four weeks.

         c.       Car Allowance of $700/month.



<PAGE>





6.       NON-DISCLOSURE

         Employee acknowledges that employment with the Company requires him/her
         to have access to confidential information and material belonging to
         the Company, including customer lists, contracts, proposals, operating
         procedures, trade secrets and business methods and systems, which have
         been developed at great expense by the Company and which Employee
         recognizes to be unique assets of the Company's business. Upon
         termination of employment for any reason, Employee agrees to return to
         the Company any such confidential information and material in his
         possession with no copies thereof retained. Employee further agrees,
         whether during employment with the Company or any time after the
         termination thereof (regardless of the reason for such termination), he
         will not disclose nor use in any manner, any confidential or
         proprietary material relating to the business, operations, or prospects
         of the Company except as authorized in writing by the Company or
         required during the performance of his duties.

7.       BUSINESS INTERFERENCE; NONCOMPETITION

         a.       During employment with the Company and for a period of one
                  year  (the "Restrictive Period") thereafter (regardless of the
                  reason for termination) Employee agrees he will not, directly
                  or indirectly, in any way for his own account, as employee,
                  stockholder, partner, or otherwise, or for the account of any
                  other person, corporation, or entity: (i) request or cause any
                  of the Company's suppliers, customers or vendors to cancel or
                  terminate any existing or continuing business relationship
                  with the Company; (ii) solicit, entice, persuade, induce,
                  request or otherwise cause any employee, officer or agent of
                  the Company to refrain from rendering services to the Company
                  or to terminate his or her relationship, contractual or
                  otherwise, with the Company; or (iii) induce or attempt to
                  influence any customer or vendor to cease or refrain from
                  doing business or to decline to do business with the Company
                  or any of its affiliated distributors or vendors.

         b.       The Employee agrees that, during the Restrictive Period, the
                  Employee will not, directly or indirectly, accept employment
                  with, provide services to or consult with, or establish or
                  acquire any interest in, any business, firm, person,
                  partnership, corporation or other entity which engages in any
                  business or activity that is the same as or competitive with
                  the business conducted by the Company in any state of the
                  United States of America and in any foreign country in which
                  any customer to whom the Company is providing services or
                  technology is located.

8.       FORFEITURE FOR BREACH; INJUNCTIVE RELIEF.

         a.       Any breach of the covenants made in Sections 6 and 7 hereof
                  shall result in the forfeiture of the Employee's right to any
                  and all payments which may be required to be made under this
                  Agreement following such breach and shall relieve the Company
                  of any obligation to make such payments.

         b.       The Employee acknowledges that his compliance with the
                  covenants in Sections 6 and 7 hereof is necessary to protect
                  the good will and other proprietary interests of


<PAGE>





                  the Company and that, in the event of any violation by the
                  Employee of the provisions of Section 6 or 7 hereof, the
                  Company will sustain serious, irreparable and substantial
                  harm to its business, the extent of which will be difficult
                  to determine and impossible to remedy by an action at law
                  for money damages. Accordingly, the Employee agrees that, in
                  the event of such violation or threatened violation by the
                  Employee, the Company shall be entitle to an injunction
                  before trial from any court of competent jurisdiction as a
                  matter of course and upon the posting of not more than a
                  nominal bond in addition to all such other legal and
                  equitable remedies as may be available to the Company.

         c.       The rights and remedies of the Company as provided in this
                  Section 8 shall be cumulative and concurrent and may be
                  pursued separately, successively or together against Employee,
                  at the sole discretion of the Company, and may be exercised as
                  often as occasion therefor shall arise. The failure to
                  exercise any right or remedy shall in no event be construed as
                  a waiver or release thereof.

         d.       The Employee agrees to reimburse the Company for any expenses
                  incurred by it in enforcing the provisions of Sections 6 and 7
                  hereof if the Company prevails in that enforcement.

9.       INVENTIONS

         Employee agrees to promptly disclose to the Company each discovery,
         improvement, or invention conceived, made, or reduced to practice
         (whether during working hours or otherwise) during the term of
         employment. Employee agrees to grant to the Company the entire interest
         in all of such discoveries, improvements, and inventions and to sign
         all patent/copyright applications or other documents needed to
         implement the provisions of this paragraph without additional
         consideration. Employee further agrees that all works of authorship
         subject to statutory copyright protection developed jointly or solely,
         while employed shall be considered a work made for hire and any
         copyright thereon shall belong to the Company. Any invention,
         discovery, or improvement conceived, made, or disclosed, during the one
         year period following the termination of employment with the Company
         shall be deemed to have been made, conceived, or discovered during
         employment with the Company.

         Employee acknowledges that the only discoveries, improvements, and
         other inventions made prior to the date hereof which have not been
         filed in the United States Patent Office are attached as Exhibit A.

10.      NO CURRENT CONFLICT

         Employee hereby assures the Company that he is not currently restricted
         by any existing employment or non-compete agreement that would conflict
         with the terms of this Agreement.


<PAGE>




11.      TERM; TERMINATION AND TERMINATION BENEFITS

         a.       Employment is "at will" which means that either the Company or
                  Employee may terminate at any time, with or without cause or
                  good reason, upon written notice given at least 30 days prior
                  to termination.

         b.       This Agreement shall terminate upon the death of the Employee.
                  In addition, if, as a result of a mental or physical
                  condition which, in the reasonable opinion of a medical
                  doctor selected by the Company's board of directors, can be
                  expected to be permanent or to be of an indefinite duration
                  and which renders the Employee unable to carry out the job
                  responsibilities held by, or the tasks assigned to, the
                  Employee immediately prior to the time the disabling
                  condition was incurred, or which entitles the Employee to
                  receive disability payments under any long-term disability
                  insurance policy which covers the Employee for which the
                  premiums are reimbursed by the Company (a "Disability"), the
                  Employee shall have been absent from his duties hereunder on
                  a full-time basis for 120 consecutive days, or 180 days
                  during any twelve month period, and within thirty (30) days
                  after written notice (which may occur before or after the
                  end of such 120 or 180 day period), by the Company to
                  Employee of the Company's intent to terminate the Employee's
                  employment by reason of such Disability, the Employee shall
                  not have returned to the performance of his duties
                  hereunder, the Employee's employment hereunder shall,
                  without further notice, terminate at the end of said
                  thirty-day notice.

         c.       The Company may also terminate the Employee's employment under
                  this Agreement for Cause. For purposes of this Agreement the
                  Company shall have "Cause" to terminate the Employee's
                  employment if the Employee, in the reasonable judgment of
                  the Company, (i) fails to perform any reasonable directive
                  of the Company that may be given from time to time for the
                  conduct of the Company's business; (ii) materially breaches
                  any of his commitments, duties or obligations under this
                  Agreement; (iii) embezzles or converts to his own use any
                  funds of the Company or its Affiliates or any business
                  opportunity of the Company of its Affiliates; (iv) destroys
                  or converts to his own use any property of the Company or
                  its Affiliates, without the Company's consent; (v) is
                  convicted of, or indicted for, or enters a guilty plea or
                  plea of no contest with respect to, a felony; (vi) is
                  adjudicated an incompetent or (vii) violates any federal,
                  state, local or other law applicable to the business of the
                  Company or engages in any conduct which, in the reasonable
                  judgment of the Company, is injurious to the business or
                  interests of the Company.

         d.       Upon any termination of this Agreement, the Company shall have
                  no further obligation to Employee other than for Annual
                  Salary earned through the date of termination, and no
                  severance pay or other benefits of any kind shall be
                  payable; provided, however, that in the event the Company
                  terminates this Agreement


<PAGE>







                  other than for Cause or as a result of the death or
                  Disability of the Employee, the company will provide for a
                  one year severance package which will include base salary
                  and benefits. The Company must give the Employee written
                  notice of the Employee's breach under sections 11.c.(i.),
                  11.c.(ii), and 11.c(vii) and 15 days to cure before the
                  Employee is given notice of termination as required under
                  Section 11.a.

           e.     Notwithstanding any contrary provision contained in this
                  Employment Agreement, in the event that either (a) there is
                  a "Change of Control" (as hereafter defined) and neither the
                  Company nor the Buyer offers the Executive a position with
                  comparable responsibilities, authority, location or
                  compensation, or (b) after the date of the Change in Control
                  but before the first anniversary thereof, the Executive's
                  responsibilities, authority, location, or compensation are
                  not acceptable to the Executive the Executive may elect to
                  resign and receive severance equal to one year's annual
                  salary and applicable prorated bonus, hereunder, payable in
                  one lump sum in accordance with the Company's policy.

                  In addition, the Executive will continue to receive (subject
                  to payment of any applicable premium co-pay) standard health,
                  dental, disability, life and accident insurance benefits for
                  the one year period following the termination of employment.

                  The Executive must provide written notice of such election not
                  less than sixty days following the date of the Change of
                  Control or, if the Executive's new position is changed within
                  the time period and in the manner described above, within
                  thirty days following such event.

                  The term "Change of Control", as utilized herein, refers to:

                      (i)    A change of control of a nature that would be
                             required to be reported in the Company's proxy
                             statement under the Securities Exchange Act of
                             1934, as amended;

                      (ii)   The approval by the Board of Directors of a sale,
                             not in the ordinary course of business, of all or
                             substantially all of the Company's assets and
                             business to an unrelated third party and the
                             consummation of such transaction; or

                      (iii)  The approval by the Board of Directors of any
                             merger, consolidation, or like business combination
                             or reorganization of the Company, the consummation
                             of which would result in the occurrence of any
                             event described in clause (i) or (ii) above, and
                             the consummation of such transaction.



<PAGE>


Except as expressly modified and amended hereby, the Employment Agreement and
its terms and provisions are hereby ratified, confirmed and approved in all
respects.

12.      MISCELLANEOUS

         a.       This Agreement and any disputes arising herefrom shall be
                  governed by Pennsylvania law.

         b.       In the event that any provision of this Agreement is held to
                  be invalid or unenforceable for any reason, including without
                  limitation the geographic or business scope or duration
                  thereof, this Agreement shall be construed as if such
                  provision had been more narrowly drawn so as not to be invalid
                  or unenforceable.

         c.       This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements, arrangements,
                  and understandings, written or oral, relating to the subject
                  matter.

         d.       The failure of either party at any time or times to require
                  performance of any provision hereof shall in no way affect the
                  right at a later time to enforce the same. No waiver by either
                  party of any condition or of the breach by the other of any
                  term or covenant contained in this Agreement shall be
                  effective unless in writing and signed by the aggrieved party.
                  A waiver by a party hereto in any one or more instances shall
                  not be deemed or construed as a further or continuing waiver
                  of any such condition or breach or a waiver of any other
                  condition, or of the breach of any other term or covenant set
                  forth in this Agreement.

         e.       Any notice required or permitted to be given under this
                  Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been
                  given when delivered in person, sent by certified mail,
                  postage prepaid, or delivered by a nationally recognized
                  overnight delivery service addressed, if to the Company at 30
                  S. 17th Street, 8th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Attn:
                  President and if to the Employee, at the address of his
                  personal residence as maintained in the Company's records.


For Employee:                                For the Company:


/s/ Joseph Esposito                          /s/ Joel Morganroth
---------------------------                  --------------------------



Date:    1/1/00                              Date:    1/1/00
     ----------------------                       ---------------------



ClubJuris.Com