Employee Contract

Employment contracts can provide job protections that would not otherwise exist in an at-will employment relationship. Such agreements usually limit the reasons the employer or employee can end the employment relationship to specifically stated violations and “good cause.”

An employment contract can be written, oral, or implied. In the case of a written or oral contract, the employee and employer have a specific agreement that is either expressed on paper or was expressed verbally. An implied agreement that the employee cannot be fired without good cause is specifically expressed in words, but it may be inferred from the company’s employee handbook, manager statements, performance evaluations, written company policies and company practices.

For employers who are interested in implementing employment agreements that protect them from employees leaving without cause or who want to discuss whether they’ve created an implied employment contract through their company policies, our legal team can assist and can draft new documents or revise your existing documents and policies.

For  individuals who have received a job offer, our experienced employment contract lawyers can advise you of your rights and obligations under your on-boarding documents. We will clarify the legal jargon and explain the potential consequences of key provisions. Our attorneys can also help you negotiate more favorable terms and help you remove terms that may adversely affect your future career, such non-compete or non-disparagement provisions.

Employers use “non-competes” or non-competition agreements, as well as non-solicitation and nondisclosure agreements to protect themselves.  However, such agreements can be written too broadly, especially regarding the geographic or time restrictions, and can unfairly restrain employees from earning a living or from working in their chosen industry, often derailing best laid plans for future opportunities, including entrepreneurship. If that’s the case, the agreement may not be enforceable.

If you are an employer who wants to draft a fair, enforceable non-compete, or if you are an employee and you would like to know how whether your non-compete agreement will retrain you from certain future job opportunities, our firm can give you the guidance and direction you need.