When properly drafted and enforced, non-compete agreements have the power to protect your business interests and bottom line. Well-known as a covenant not to compete, these agreements effectively prevent employees from putting your efforts to work against you.
Working with a Florida non-compete attorney from day one can help ensure that you are protected to the fullest extent. Without one, you could miss out on preventing employees from becoming competitors and decimating your future prospects. Wondering just what a Florida non-compete attorney can do for you? Here’s a look at all the ways these legal experts can help protect your intellectual property, operations, and more.
Legally Enforceable Contracts with a Non-Compete Attorney
To fully protect your business, a non-compete agreement must stand up to intense scrutiny in court. Florida non-compete agreements can help ensure that your business interests are protected to the fullest extent, while remaining reasonable in their scope.
On that last point, you must make sure that the agreement covers an understandable amount of time, limited area, and exact line of business. Agreements that do not pass the reasonableness requirements are not enforceable in court, making them a complete waste of time and money.
Thankfully, you can count on an experienced Florida non-compete attorney to know how to create a legally binding agreement. An experienced lawyer will know what the courts will look for and will use that knowledge to avoid common pitfalls.
Revise Contracts as Business Needs Change
As your business grows, you’ll undoubtedly add new intellectual property, operations, and the like to the mix. You might even expand your operations to break out into new industries and claim a bigger part of the market share in every realm you touch.
While pushing your company to great heights, it is imperative that you revise your non-compete agreements and other contracts. If you don’t, the outdated materials could leave your company vulnerable and open the door to legal attacks.
By working with a dedicated Florida non-compete attorney, you can have all your contacts updated on a regular basis. You can schedule timely meetings with your key legal experts and get guidance on when to make those smart updates.
Handle Breach of Contract Disputes with a Non-Compete Attorney
Non-compete agreements lay down the ground rules for employees to follow. But what happens if they don’t abide by the limitations? You’ll need to take legal action in order to prevent the ongoing breach from continuing and to prevent future breaches which could affect your company’s bottom line.
If you don’t pursue the breach of contract dispute in a timely manner, their unlawful business practices could take hold and create more difficulties along the way. When presenting the facts, you need to take the right approach or the judge might not properly enforce the agreement.
So, you really want a Florida non-compete lawyer to handle the disputes from start to finish. One of the first steps the attorney will likely take is notifying the party of their breach of contract in an attempt to settle the matter prior to formal litigation. If your employee refuses to abide by the terms in the agreement, then the lawyer will file a lawsuit against them. You can then fight to have the contract enforced and even potentially collect damages.
Review Non-Compete Contracts from Other Parties
If you’re ever on the other side of the equation, it’s wise to get all non-compete agreements and other contracts looked over by a lawyer before signing. Legal documents can include many terms and conditions and without an experienced lawyer reviewing the documents, there could be conditions that slip through the cracks.
If you don’t fully understand the agreement, you could be agreeing to terms and conditions that you are not aware of. Without knowing the exact terms and conditions of the contract, you may breach the contract and get sued despite not quite knowing what you did wrong.
A non-compete lawyer can look at the contracts in question and let you know if their terms are reasonable, enforceable, and worth agreeing to. If not, they can help you make amendments to the terms in an attempt to negotiate with the other party. You can even have the other party meet with you and your lawyer to hash it out.
Offer Legal Guidance About Non-Compete Agreements
Not all businesses need non-compete agreements and it’s not always wise for employees to sign them. Knowing when to employ these contracts is key, but it’s often difficult to figure that out on your own.
Fortunately, with a non-compete lawyer on your side, you don’t have to. You can always count on them to provide you with accurate legal guidance and help you stay on the right side of the law.