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ment. It is a very important aspect of the sale because it comes down to protecting the goodwill. A non-compete protects the buyer’s investment. At the same time, it has to be reasonable as to the length of time and geographic area in the context the particular dental practice. It’s not a one- size ts all,” said Totman.
BEYOND THE SALE
“ ere are a lot of quirks to the dental practice that are outside the knowledge and experience of most business lawyers. Commercial leases, for example, need attention to dental-speci c details, like addressing protected health in- formation. is means limiting where and when the land- lord or an agent can enter the premises,” he said.
“Since the dental industry environment, unlike that of the medical eld at large, is conducive for solo practices to exist and thrive, accounting for the death or disability of the doctor is a very important section in the lease. We try to ad- dress that at the beginning of the lease negotiation.”
“A er the sale or purchase of a dental practice, I can pro- vide additional support for the practice with issues such as taking on a new partner or associate, a dental-speci c em- ployment contract or an employee manual and trademarks for brand protection,” he said.
A DREAM OF MUSIC
Totman said one of the reasons he started his own prac- tice was to have the exibility to spend time with his family. His wife, Jillian, is also an attorney. ey met when they were attending Campbell Law school.
eir 2-year-old son, Ethan, is Totman’s guitar groupie. “He loves it. He was fascinated by the sound of the guitar from birth. If he sees it he’ll run over, point to it and de- mand I play,” said Totman.
“I started playing guitar in high school with an acoustic. Bought an electric in college and have been playing both since then. I brie y played with a band, playing rhythm gui- tar and lead singer. And I’ve done some open-mic nights but generally just enjoy playing for myself,” said Totman.
JILLIAN, DOMINIC AND ETHAN
DR. DANA MCCALL AND TOTMAN
“Zeppelin is the GOAT for me so I most enjoy play- ing Jimmy Page. I love Hendrix, the Stones and other guitar greats. In another life, I’d go into music. So, mu- sicisabitofanescape,abitofadreamandalotof fun,” he said.
THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
Totman said that another reason Totman started his rm was the draw of entrepreneurship. “ e desire to build and shape my own business was a big motivation to start Tot- man Law,” he said.
He also likes helping other entrepreneurs, including startups and future business owners. Totman volunteers at the NCSU Entrepreneurship Initiative, providing free con- sults to NCSU students at the EI Garage.
Totman assists dentists in realizing their entrepre- neurial goals. “One thing I try to do is drive legal plan- ning. I tell my clients, let’s make sure we are periodically talking and looking out into the future. What are your goals for the practice and how do you achieve them? If your goal is four practice locations we’ll talk about how best to structure your business in order to facilitate that,” said Totman. “I see myself as being a proactive part of the equation for dentists.”
TOTMAN LAW
8320 FALLS OF NEUSE RD., SUITE 111 RALEIGH, NC 27615
(919) 539-9590
TOTMANLAW.COM
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