What Is A Covenant Not To Compete In New Jersey?
Generally speaking, in New Jersey, a covenant not to compete means that the employee will agree not to work for any of their employer's competitors upon leaving the company. Such agreements are also known by the term "non-compete clauses". An employee who signs a covenant not to compete may receive compensation for the agreement, or in some cases the agreement is a condition for their being hired.
When are Covenants not to Compete Unenforceable?
Whether or not a judge will conclude that the covenant is enforceable can be difficult to know beforehand. While the employer?s interests are important, New Jersey courts place great importance on an individual?s freedom to pursue the employment they want. Accordingly, courts have only upheld those agreements that they consider reasonable under the circumstances. Some agreements that courts have considered to be unreasonable include terms that last for an unusually long period of time or that cover a geographic around Newark that is unreasonably broad.
The agreements must also deal only with those competitors whose line of employment is rationally related to the previous employer's. Finally, the covenant not to compete must have a legitimate business purpose which is behind the employer's motivation for requiring the agreement.
Do I Need an Attorney when Dealing with a Covenant not to Compete?
Before you sign any documents that could restrict your rights, you may consider hiring a Newark, New Jersey attorney who can review the covenant. The attorney can negotiate modifications to the contract if they are needed, and can draft a new clause which is acceptable to the parties involved. A lawyer can also render useful advice for employers who are considering suing an employee for breach of covenant, or they can counsel employees who have signed such an agreement.
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Life in Newark
Newark is a massive city. To give you an idea how massive, "The Brick City" is the largest in all of New Jersey and at a short distance of 8 miles from Manhattan, it's an ideal place for many New York professionals to call home. Port Newark is on Newark Bay along the Atlantic Ocean and is the largest port on the East Coast. The Port of Newark offers the most rail facilities, biggest cranes, and wide deep docking. It serves as the location for shipping nearly all New York containers. Newark's skyline shows what industrious city it is. Newark is home to the headquarters of Prudential Financial, Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey, New Jersey Transit, and the Public Service Enterprise Group PSEG are headquartered in downtown Newark.
Newark plays host to some of the nation's best universities and schools. The New Jersey Institute of Technology has educated NASA aerospace engineers to National Technical Medal of Technology winners. Rutgers University is located in Newark and has been consistently voted as one of the top business and graduate school in the United States. The city and local colleges draw outstanding talent for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center that is just adjacent to Military Park, a 6 acre green space with the well known "Wars of America" statue on display. You may also remember Brick City which was aired as a five part documentary on the Sundance Channel in 2009. The second installment comes in 2011. The documentary revolved around Newark's leaps and bounds to improve the safety and corruption of the past.
