Unraveling the Concept of Garden Leave: Insights From Silicon Valley — Hiring to Firing Podcast
On July 1, the Florida Contracts Honoring Opportunity, Investment, Confidentiality, and Economic Growth (CHOICE) Act took effect, positioning Florida as one of, if not the most, employer-friendly states in noncompete and...more
Florida recently enacted the Contracts Honoring Opportunity, Investment, Confidentiality, and Economic Growth (CHOICE) Act (“The CHOICE Act” or “Act”), which brings significant changes to the manner in which the state...more
With the Federal Trade Commission’s non-compete ban out of the picture, the Supreme Court barring most universal injunctions, and the National Labor Relations’ Board directive identifying non-compete agreements as violating...more
As states across the country move to limit or ban non-compete agreements, Florida is taking a sharp turn in the opposite direction. Already a friendly jurisdiction for non-competes, the state is doubling down on employer...more
While states across the country, including Texas and Virginia, continue to enact laws that restrict or ban noncompete agreements, a new Florida law does the opposite. Effective July 1, 2025, the Contracts Honoring...more
As jurisdictions around the country continue to impose limitations—or outright bans—on restrictive covenants, Florida is taking a decidedly different approach....more
The Biden Administration and several states have sought to limit non-compete agreements in recent years as restraints on trade. Florida has long been more accepting of them and has just moved further into this camp. The...more
Florida just enacted a new law that seals its status as the most enforcement-friendly state in the country for non-compete and garden leave agreements. The “Florida Contracts Honoring Opportunity, Investment, Confidentiality,...more
Employers can relax and enjoy the Florida sunshine. Here is why: On April 24, 2025, the Florida Legislature passed the Florida Contracts Honoring Opportunity, Investment, Confidentiality, and Economic Growth (CHOICE) Act. Not...more
Over the past several years, EmployNews has chronicled multiple legislative, regulatory, and judicial assaults on the use of noncompetition agreements with employees. These attacks have weakened or eliminated employers'...more
What is the CHOICE Act? On April 24, 2025, Florida state lawmakers passed the Contracts Honoring Opportunity, Investment, Confidentiality, and Economic Growth Act or CHOICE Act. The CHOICE Act is a law reforming...more
As referenced in our blog post discussing notable noncompete changes nationwide, Florida lawmakers are changing how the Sunshine State views noncompete and garden leave agreements....more
A bill recently passed by the Florida House and Senate and poised to become law effective July 1, 2025, will substantially change the noncompete landscape for employers doing business in Florida. If Gov. Ron DeSantis signs...more
Florida has long been where people go to unwind – and soon it will also be a place where businesses can operate with more peace of mind, thanks to a new law that will make it the most enforcement-friendly state in the country...more
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued its final rule banning non-compete provisions nationwide (the Rule). While the FTC contends that non-competes keep wages low, suppress new ideas and stifle the...more
Oregon law on permitted covenants not to compete has been amended to void nonconforming agreements and limit such agreements to employees making at least $100,533, among other changes...more
In October 2018, businesses across the country braced for the effects of a noncompete law that was enacted in Massachusetts. The "garden leave" clause in Massachusetts' noncompete law dictated that during the period in which...more
After years of stalled efforts, Washington has joined the growing list of states imposing statutory restrictions on employers’ use of restrictive covenants. On May 8, 2019, Governor Inslee signed into law Engrossed Substitute...more
Finding that “workforce mobility is important to economic growth and development,” Washington just passed a new law that will significantly restrict noncompetition agreements with both employees and independent contractors....more
It has been just over a month since Massachusetts’ comprehensive noncompetition reform law took effect. We explained the key provisions of the law last summer. Since then, what have we learned and what questions remain?...more
One month into Massachusetts’ new non-competition law, employers throughout the Commonwealth are learning what many predicted from the beginning—there are a lot more questions than answers. As Fisher Phillips previously...more
Readers of our blog will recall that this summer, the Massachusetts legislature passed a non-compete reform bill after nearly a decade of fruitless attempts. The new law goes into effect today, meaning that any agreements...more
Massachusetts recently enacted a new statute that significantly changes the treatment of noncompetition agreements under Massachusetts law. The Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act (the “Act”) is effective October 1,...more
Q: My company is headquartered in Massachusetts. Does the new Massachusetts law on non-competes change how I structure non-compete agreements with employees? ...more
On August 10, 2018, the Governor of Massachusetts signed into law comprehensive reforms governing covenants not to compete in the State of Massachusetts. See MGL c.149, § 24L (added by St.2018, c.228, §21). As detailed below,...more