What Are Non-Compete Agreements?
Non-compete agreements are commonly used contracts made between employers and employees in Arizona to help protect the interests of the business and prevent employees from taking the expertise they gain from a company to a competitor in the future.
No matter which side of the employer/employee relationship you are on,working with a non-compete lawyer can help you understand the process and ensure a fair agreement.
Our Employment Law team at JacksonWhite can help you draft a legally compliant and enforceable non-compete agreement. Whether you are an employer or employee, we’ll use our legal experience to guide you in creating an agreement with favorable terms that protect your interests.
Common Uses For Non-Compete Agreements
Non-compete agreements are contracts between an employer and employee that state that they will not work in a similar role with nearby market competitors after their termination—an agreement can also apply to a company and an independent contractor.
These agreements are commonplace in many different industries in the state of Arizona and can be put to a wide variety of uses to protect the interests of a business or employee.
For example, the owner of an oil exploration firm may use a non-compete agreement to prevent their employees from accepting jobs with their key competitors. Existing workers may be privy to proprietary information, and going to work for a competitor could put their current employer at a disadvantage.
Non-compete agreements benefit both employers and employees. Employers can protect their valuable trade secrets and any proprietary information that can give them an advantage in the marketplace, while employees often receive some sort of tangible incentive for signing a non-compete agreement. New hires are often asked to sign these agreements as a condition of employment, and existing employees may receive an incentive like a raise, promotion, or bonus.
It’s important that your agreement is drafted carefully and meets all necessary legal requirements to be considered enforceable under the law—this is what makes an attorney so valuable. Our non-compete attorneys can help you draft a favorable agreement that is enforceable, genuinely protects your business interests and provides you with an option for legal action if one side violates their obligation to the agreement.
Are Non-Compete Agreements Enforceable in Arizona?
Non-compete agreements can be enforced in Arizona as long as they meet the proper requirements. For a non-compete agreement to be valid in Arizona, it must align with the following criteria:
- It must be reasonably limited in time.
- It must have a reasonable geographic scope.
- It must be disclosed to the employee when hired or promoted.
- It must serve a legitimate purpose, and the employer must have valid reasons for using one. For instance, the business may use a non-compete agreement to prevent its carefully guarded trade secrets from being lost to a competitor or protect other valuable pieces of intellectual property.
- The employer must offer something of value to the employee in exchange for not working with a competitor, like a bonus or another incentive.
As long as the agreement meets these criteria, courts will generally uphold it. To ensure enforceability, employers should have an employment attorney review any non-compete agreements. With proper drafting, non-competes are a valuable tool for Arizona employers.
Our team of non-compete lawyers at JacksonWhite can help you craft an agreement that protects your interests and is enforceable under Arizona law. With our experience, we can consult you in the drafting process and ensure that your agreement meets the proper criteria.
Benefits of Hiring a Non-Compete Agreement Attorney
Understanding and navigating non-compete agreements can be a complex process. If not properly drafted, a non-compete agreement may not be enforceable if either party violates the contract.
A non-compete lawyer can ensure you have proper guidance throughout the process, thanks to a detailed understanding of Arizona laws surrounding these agreements. Working with our team at JacksonWhite will offer you several benefits, taking the stress and complexity out of the process through experienced legal guidance while maintaining full transparency.
Some of the benefits of working with a non-compete attorney include:
- Expert knowledge of state laws – Our team has a detailed understanding of state laws, allowing us to help you craft an agreement that aligns with the necessary criteria to be considered enforceable.
- Risk mitigation – Without legal support, you risk creating an agreement that is unenforceable for the court and allows information to be shared with no available legal recourse.
- Tailored legal advice – An attorney will work to understand your company’s unique circumstances and goals and provide tailored advice for appropriate next steps.
- Effective drafting and review – We’ll help draft and review your agreement so that it is clear, fair, and legally sound.
- Negotiation skills – In the event that there’s a disagreement over the contract, we can support you in the negotiation process and help you draft an agreement that offers the most potential benefits for your side.
- Litigation support – If a disagreement needs to go to court to be settled, we’ll represent you and defend you in litigation to protect your interests.
- Compliance assurance – We’ll ensure that you stay in compliance with state laws so your contract remains enforceable and valid under Arizona state law.
- Time and cost efficiency – With expert legal guidance, we’ll save you time and money by preventing you from jumping through hoops and helping you draft your agreement right from the beginning.
- Peace of mind – An attorney provides valuable peace of mind by helping you navigate complex legal processes so you can enjoy a complete agreement without having to disrupt your business operations.
Starting with an initial consultation, we can help you understand the benefits and risks of pursuing a non-compete agreement for your business and why an attorney is a valuable resource. Contact our team at JacksonWhite Law to learn more about the value of working with a lawyer throughout the process.
Services We Offer
Our non-compete attorneys at JacksonWhite will guide you throughout all steps of the drafting process so you have the support necessary to establish and maintain a valid contract that protects your business interests.
We offer the following services:
- Drafting non-compete agreements – Our team will support you in crafting meticulous agreements tailored to your unique case and business needs and ensure that they contain all the requirements to remain enforceable in court.
- Enforcing non-compete agreements – We’ll work diligently to defend and enforce the terms of an established non-compete agreement, including sending cease-and-desist letters, negotiating settlements, and pursuing litigation while emphasizing the validity of the agreement.
- Disputing non-compete agreements – If you are an employee who is being asked to sign or being held to an unfair or overly restrictive agreement outside the scope of Arizona law, we can help you in assessing the validity of the agreement and represent you in court proceedings.
When you work with JacksonWhite Law, you can rely on us to be a strong advocate for you, your business, trade secrets, and intellectual property. Whether you need to create a new agreement or defend the terms of an established agreement against a legal contest, we’ll put your business needs at the forefront to secure a successful result.
Our Approach
At JacksonWhite Law, we take a detailed approach to support you in drafting and enforcing non-compete agreements. By remaining by your side from the drafting phase through any potential litigation, we help you protect your business interests while emphasizing the enforceability and validity of your agreement.
We begin every client relationship with an initial consultation to understand their unique goals for pursuing a non-compete agreement. Our goal is to determine the best approach for your business while maintaining full transparency about your options and the steps needed to reach them.
We’ll take the following steps to support you surrounding non-compete agreements:
- Clear communication – We value open communication and transparency, so you have no confusion about your obligations and needs throughout the drafting process.
- Focused advocacy – We keep your interests and rights top of mind throughout the whole process, advocating for them in all negotiations and potential litigation.
- Proactive resolution – We’ll take all the necessary steps to seek the best, whether that means resolving disputes through negotiation or advocating for you in the courtroom.
Continuous support – We provide ongoing support and guidance to clients to ensure they have necessary tools and throughout the legal process.
With our thoughtful approach to drafting and enforcing non-compete agreements, we’ll ensure that yours meets all the necessary criteria for your case and stand by you throughout the life of the agreement to ensure that it fulfills its purpose of protecting your interests.
Get Qualified Legal Representation In Arizona
Non-compete agreements can play a valuable role in business relationships and can help protect business interests. However, it’s crucial that any agreement meets the appropriate criteria to remain enforceable in the eyes of an Arizona judge.
Whether you are an employee looking to protect your interests or an employee facing a potentially unreasonable agreement, you may benefit from the support of a non-compete attorney.
The experience of an attorney can guide you in crafting an agreement that’s enforceable in court or combatting an unreasonable agreement. At JacksonWhite Law, our Arizona non-compete lawyers will provide the support and guidance you need to navigate the process. With a team of expert employment law attorneys, we understand the laws around non-compete agreements and what it takes to create a meaningful, enforceable document.
If you need to set up, enforce, or dispute a non-compete agreement in Arizona, call our Employment Law team at (480) 637-3619 to discuss your case today.
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