Recent Scrutiny of Non-Competes

Florham Park partner Larry Del Rossi published an article for Today’s General Counsel titled, “Recent Scrutiny of Non-Competes.” Larry provides an overview of non-compete agreements (also known as restrictive covenants) and discusses a recent uptick in government activity that may regulate or challenge private businesses’ use and enforcement of non-competes.

Larry says “one major challenge for national companies is that enforcement of non-competes varies from state to state, so that there is no uniform standard.” In May 2016 the White House issued “Non-Compete Agreements: Analysis of the Usage, Potential Issues, and State Responses,” a document intended to identify areas where implementation and enforcement of non-competes may present issues, put forward a set of best practices, and serve as a call to action for state reform.

Larry advises companies to consider whether all employees within the company should have non-competes, evaluate the scope and structure of their agreements, and document the business rationale for requiring employees (including at-will employees) to sign any non-compete.

Read “The Recent Scrutiny of Non-Competes.”