Although employment agreements are not required for most employment relationships in the U.S., many employers use them for some or all workers. In addition to expressing the material terms and conditions of the employment relationship (including salary and benefits),...
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Employment Contracts, Partnership Agreements, & Non-Competes
Employment Contract Rights and COVID-19
To say that a large portion of the American workforce is facing uncertainty is an understatement. Reports of furloughs, pay cuts, and layoffs attributed to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic make the news regularly. Many employees who are continuing to work in...
Your First Offer Letter: How Do You Respond?
Congratulations! You have received an offer letter. Usually, this is a document that formally extends employment to a job applicant and outlines the main terms and conditions (including salary and other benefits). The offer letter also frequently gives a candidate a...
California Court of Appeals Suggests All Employee Non-Solicitation Agreements Are Unenforceable
California has a strong public policy, codified in Section 16600 of the Business & Professions Code and repeatedly recognized by courts, that prohibits restrictions on employee mobility and competition, except in certain defined situations, as set forth in...
Bridgewater Settlement Spotlights Employers’ Heavy Handed Use of Employment Contract Provisions
for many workers, signing an employment contract with a confidentiality, non-disclosure, non-competition, or non-solicitation clause is a necessary part of accepting and keeping a job. What they don't anticipate, however, is that those provisions can be leveraged...
DOJ/FTC Publication Empowers Workers by Taking Aim at No-Poaching Agreements
In apparent support of U.S. workers and economic realities, the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently issued guidelines for human resources professionals regarding anti-competitive hiring practices....
Illinois Attorney General Files Suit Against Jimmy John’s
In a civil complaint filed June 8, 2016, the State of Illinois alleges that the sandwich chain Jimmy John's violated the state's Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Practices Act, 815 ILCS 50511, et seq., by requiring its store employees to sign aggressive non-compete...
Non-Compete Agreements: Bad for Employees, Bad for the Marketplace
This May, the Obama Administration released a report analyzing the use of non-compete agreements in the American economy, potential issues arising from such use, and the effectiveness of various state responses. This analysis suggests that the misuse of non-competes...
The New “Defend Trade Secrets Act”
President Obama has now signed into law the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA), which takes effect immediately and represents a significant change in the way trade secret disputes are likely to be resolved in the United States. The law also extends new whistleblower...
U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Demands Equal Pay for Equal Work
Last week, the U.S. women's national soccer team (USWNT), represented by five of its top players, filed a complaint of wage discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), alleging that U.S. Soccer players on the men's national team are paid as...