Maryland will be increasing its threshold for the use of noncompetes with low-wage workers starting October 1, and again each of the next few years.
In case you were wondering what states have changed their noncompete laws in the past decade or so, we have created a list with links to more information about each of the changes.
Eleven states plus Washington, D.C. have wage thresholds or other criteria that must be satisfied before a noncompete can be used. We now know that six have increased. Are your noncompetes still compliant?
The day an employee shows up for their first day of work is often the day they learn that a noncompete is a requirement of the job. But, according to a 2015 study by Professors Evan Starr, J.J. Prescott, and Norm Bishara, providing advance notice that a noncompete will be required actually leads to 11% more training and 6.6% more job satisfaction. Eight states plus D.C. now have some requirements. Make sure you are complying.
There is a fifth decision involving a noncompete under the Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act, G.L. c. 149, § 24L - and it provides some helpful guidance.
Eleven states plus Washington, D.C. have wage thresholds or other criteria that must be satisfied before a noncompete can be used. They are changing again. Will your noncompetes be compliant?
Eleven states plus Washington, D.C. now have wage thresholds or other criteria that must be satisfied before a noncompete can be used. Are your noncompetes compliant?
Given that good CLE programs can be hard to identify, I put together a list of a few upcoming, content-rich programs that I and leading practitioners, in-house counsel, experts, and others from around the country are participating in.
Although five noncompete bills were pending before the Massachusetts legislature this year, none has passed.
The day an employee shows up for their first day of work is often the day they learn that a noncompete is a requirement of the job. But, according to a 2015 study by Professors Evan Starr, J.J. Prescott, and Norm Bishara, providing advance notice that a noncompete will be required actually leads to 11% more training and 6.6% more job satisfaction.
In case you were wondering what states have changed their noncompete laws in the past decade or so, we have created a list with links to more information about each of the changes.
The day an employee shows up for their first day of work is often the day they learn that a noncompete is a requirement of the job. But, according to a 2015 study by Professors Evan Starr, J.J. Prescott, and Norm Bishara, providing advance notice that a noncompete will be required actually leads to 11% more training and 6.6% more job satisfaction.
Eleven states now have wage thresholds or other criteria that must be satisfied before a noncompete can be used. Are your noncompetes compliant?
Happy 4th! After three and a half years, we are finally seeing more cases — and more judicial decisions — involving noncompetes subject to the Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act (the “MNAA”), G. L. c.149 § 24L. And, we now have a third and fourth decision.
Our legal system is far from perfect. And, unfortunately, it frequently permits abuses. In the context of restrictive covenants and trade secret claims, oftentimes it’s an overly-aggressive forme...
There has been a lot of legislative, regulatory, and judicial activity around noncompetes over the past two months or so. Here is a summary.
Ten states now have wage thresholds or other criteria that must be satisfied before a noncompete can be used. Are your noncompetes ready?
No one ever points to North Dakota’s or Oklahoma’s ban on noncompete as producing a thriving tech sector, because they haven’t. Yet, somehow think that the same ban in California is why we have Silicon Valley. This assumption is wrong for multiple reasons. Worse, it leads to poor policy.
Contracts containing restrictive covenants (noncompetes, nonsolicitation agreements, and the like) have been the province of state regulation for over 200 years. However, starting in 2015, the federal government has been stepping into the breach through proposed legislation (most recently two bills to ban all employee noncompetes and one to amend the FLSA to ban noncompetes for nonexempt workers), FTC review (starting with a workshop in January 2020), and an Executive Order (on July 9, 2021) “encouraging” the FTC to “curtail the unfair use of non-compete clauses . . . .” While that’s not news, what is news is that earlier this week (September 14, 2021), the FTC issued a public statement that — if it is as broad as it appears — seems to presume that the FTC has authority to regulate these types of contracts.
We’re nearing three years to the day that the Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act has been in effect. While we have only two decisions so far that provide any insight into some of the more thorny questions about the statute, we seem to be on the cusp of getting at least one new data point.
As regular readers of this blog know, I focus on providing content and rarely suggest educational programs to attend. However, given that CLE programs are still remote and can be hard to identify, I t...
A recent paper, “The Ethics of Noncompete Clauses,” by University of Georgia Professor Harrison Frye, expands the policy discussion around noncompetes, and argues for a more thoughtful analysis. As Professor Frye details, seeing noncompetes “as solely advancing the interests of employers is myopic.”
Misconceptions about noncompetes abound. And, as noncompete agreements are increasingly in the cross-hairs of the media and legislators, it has become increasingly clear that some of the most vocal de...
Ask two lawyers for their opinion and you’ll get three opinions. But I asked almost 60 lawyers (and paralegals) and got only one opinion — consistent with the last time, when I asked 21 lawyer...