On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued its final rule prohibiting all non-compete agreements for all employees at all levels, with only extremely limited exceptions. The FTC’s much-anticipated action follows its January 2023 proposed rule and its review of over 26,000 public comments. Though approved 3-2 along party lines by the FTC
More On The Federal Effort to Ban Non-Competes: The FTC’s Proposed Rule and the Workforce Mobility Act of 2023
In the world of restrictive covenants, 2023 got off to a hot start when, in early January, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to broadly ban the use of non-compete covenants nationally. Now, Congress has stepped into the fray, with a bipartisan group of Senators reintroducing a bill that
A More Thorough Review of the FTC’s Proposed Non-Compete Rule
On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to broadly ban the use of non-compete covenants throughout the country. The proposed rule, which would supersede all contrary state laws, is remarkable for its sweeping definition of “non-compete clauses” that fall within the ban. Jackson Lewis provided an
FTC Proposes Rule Broadly Banning Use of Non-Compete Agreements
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to broadly ban the use of non-compete covenants throughout the country. The proposed rule, which would supersede all contrary state laws, would extend to “de facto” non-compete clauses, i.e., contractual provisions that have the effect of prohibiting workers from seeking or accepting employment
Reaction and Response to the FTC & DOJ Workshop on Labor Market Competition
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) hosted a virtual workshop on December 6-7, 2021, bringing together agency representatives, lawyers, economists, academics, and other experts to discuss issues affecting competition in the labor market (“Workshop”).
We attended the Workshop virtually and co-signed a response letter (drafted by our friends Russell Beck
Why We Signed a Joint Letter Urging Caution in Non-Compete Regulation
Earlier this month, President Joseph Biden issued an Executive Order encouraging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to “curtail the unfair use of non-compete clauses and other clauses or agreements that may unfairly limit worker mobility.”
We joined more than 50 lawyers and paralegals around the country – all of us experienced restrictive covenant practitioners –
President Biden Issues Executive Order Calling on FTC to “Curtail Unfair Use” of Non-Competes and Other Restrictive Covenants
There have been whispers of federal regulation of non-compete agreements for years. Multiple bipartisan bills aiming to ban non-competes have fallen to the wayside without traction. The Federal Trade Commission hosted a workshop in January 2020 (attended by our own Erik Winton) “to examine whether there is a sufficient legal basis and empirical economic support”