Your Success | Our Goal

Boston Non-Compete Attorneys

Opportunity knocks.  You find yourself at the doorstep of a lucrative career move.  The chance to turn the corner has arrived.  Your hard work has paid off, but will you be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor?  It all depends.  One question comes to mind: Did you sign a non-compete agreement?

Whereas a patent awards the holder a monopoly on a certain product, a non-compete clause grants your employer a temporary monopoly on you.  If deemed enforceable, a non-compete may prevent you from earning a living in the industry you know best.  The stakes are high.  Your livelihood needs to be protected.  Time is of the essence.

Conforto Law Group litigates non-compete issues on behalf of employees.  Massachusetts courts carefully scrutinize the circumstances surrounding non-compete agreements when determining enforceability.  Our experience allows us to quickly isolate the factors that may render a non-compete invalid. Below is a sampling of just some of the issues that must be brought to a court's attention:

1. Is the Agreement reasonably limited in both time and geographic scope?
2. Is the Agreement necessary to protect the employer's legitimate business interests?
3. Is the Agreement supported by adequate consideration?
   

Preventative measures pay dividends.  If your employer requests that you sign a non-competition agreement, enlist our knowledge to ensure that your interests are safeguarded.  Avoiding landmines today may prevent the need to embark in litigation later.  When proceeding in court becomes necessary, rely on Conforto Law Group to aggressively defend your right to work.

Recent Decisions & News

Conforto Law Group successfully opposed an employer's motion for preliminary injunction before the Business Litigation Session of Suffolk Superior Court.  In Lunt v. Campbell, et al., an employer required our client to sign a non-compete agreement midway through her employment, which prohibited her from competing in Essex County for a period of two years.  Following our client's departure, the employer filed a motion for preliminary injunction in an attempt to prevent our client from working in Essex County.  The court's decision in our client's favor to deny injunctive relief illustrates important principles related to geographical and temporal restrictions in the personal services context:

"Massachusetts courts have enforced non-competition agreements up to two years in some circumstances, but it is not apparent that such a long time is necessary in this context, involving a service clients usually require at intervals of weeks or months.  As to territorial scope, Essex County encompasses many square miles of territory."

Mr. Conforto has been interviewed by Forbes Magazine in an article entitled, How To Wrestle With Non-Compete Contracts, in which he discussed strategies for dealing with non-competes.

Please feel free to visit our blog to read about recent developments in non-compete cases  both in Massachusetts and across the country: Boston Employment Lawyer Blog - Non-Compete Articles.

We welcome the opportunity to discover how we may assist you. To arrange a consultation, contact Conforto Law Group online or at  (617) 721-9139.

Your Success is Our Goal. Let us help.