Maryland Noncompete and Conflict of Interest Clause Act

As of October 1, 2019, Maryland joined other states across the nation by enacting the Noncompete and Conflict of Interest Clause Act (NCICA) to prohibit non-compete clauses and conflict of interest clauses for employees who earn equal to or less than $15.00/hour or $31,200 annually.  The State of Maryland has deemed non-compete and conflict of…

Some states are beginning to outlaw Non-competes. Is Maryland next to follow this trend?

Covenants not to compete (often referred to simply as “noncompetes”) have become ubiquitous in employment agreements, particularly for executives and other mid- to high-ranking individuals.  The long standing status quo regarding non-competes in the majority of states—including Maryland—is that they are fully permissible, subject to a case-by-case judicial balancing test that considers the interests of…

Anatomy of “Non-Compete” Agreements

Most Maryland companies that utilize salespeople to conduct their business are familiar with “Non-Compete Agreements.”  These are the agreements that prevent an employee from leaving the company and taking all of the company’s customers with them to their new employer.  Most companies don’t know, however, exactly what is in these “non-competes.”  In many cases, the…

Should Employers Make All of Their Employees Sign Non-Competes?

Most employers know that it is a good idea to have employees sign “non-competes” – that is, agreements that limit the extent to which current employees may compete against the employer if the employee leaves and wants to start working somewhere else.  Many employers get so excited about this protection that they require all of…