If you don't mean to be snide then don't be. It's not that hard. Just skip the snark and explain what OP is missing. If you have some knowledge of employment contracts to share, OP and all the rest of us would appreciate it.
Law is sort of small hobby for me: I read every word of anything I sign and I paid a decent amount of attention in a business law class I took in college.
A great introductory book on the subject you could probably get cheaply used at a college book store is "Fundamentals of Business Law"
It goes over just about anything a small business and/or startup person would want to know (short of options, equity, and the like ) anymore you would definitely want to go with professional council on .
At will employment is a pretty standard practice is the US.
That language is in just about any offer for employment that a person would read in the states.
It basically just means "you can quit at anytime and we can get rid of you at anytime" generally except for anything that violates the employment contract or any applicable laws.
Its to help with liability and rights on both ends
At-will is a description of the absence of an contract term restricting either party's right to end employment. It's not a law and it's not a restriction. What's surprising is that neither party wanted any kind of term; she didn't want a guarantee she'd be employed even a single year, and they didn't want a guarantee she wouldn't up and quit with no notice. They could've had one. Having to buy out the contract of a high-ranking person to replace them early is kind of the norm I've come to expect.
