NON-COMPETE AGREEMENTS (aka COVENANT NOT TO COMPETE)

More employers are requiring employees to sign non-compete agreements, also known as covenants not to compete.  There is no nice way to say it:  Non-competes in Tennessee are terrible.

A typical non-compete agreement is a document an employee signs – usually upon beginning his employment but sometimes years later – promising not to work in the industry, location, or for specific employers for a defined period of time after the current employment ends.  Although Tennessee courts say they “disfavor” non-competes, courts enforce them.

There are a few facts courts and employment lawyers consider when determining if a non-compete is enforceable:  Is the employer’s reason for requiring the non-compete better than simply not wanting someone to compete with it?  Is the non-compete reasonable in scope and duration?  Did the employee get some benefit in exchange for signing the non-compete?  The closer to “yes” the answers are, the more likely a court will enforce the non-compete.

If you have been asked to sign a non-compete, your former employer is threatening to sue you for violating a non-compete, or you have questions about how to get out of a non-compete, you should call an experienced employment lawyer immediately.  At East Tennessee Employment Law we represent employees in all types of situations arising from non-compete agreements, so let us put our experience in employment law to work for you.