What is a Non compete agreement?

A non-compete clause or covenant not to compete(CNC), is a term used in contractunder which one party (usually an employee) agrees not to pursue a similar profession or trade in competition against another party (usually the employer).

Often, a non-compete agreement is used to prevent an employee from quitting and going to work for a competitor. Usually, non-compete provisions are often 6 - 12 months long.

Whether a non-compete is valid and enforceable varies from state to state. For example, California rarely finds such agreements valid. My own state of Virginia will only enforce non-compete agreements which are reasonable in geographical scope and duration.

We write about the enforceability of non-competes in Virginia on our blog:

http://virginianoncompete.blogspot.com