Confidentiality, restrictive covenants, team moves & injunctions

Our law firm understands the importance of protecting your business’s confidential information and preventing employees from taking it with them when they leave.

That’s why we offer a comprehensive service for confidentiality, restrictive covenants, team moves, and injunctions. Our experienced team of employment lawyers will work with you to create tailored agreements and provide strategic advice to safeguard your business interests. Trust us to help you navigate the complex legal landscape of employee recruitment and retention.

• You could be left in a very vulnerable position if an employee who is of great value to your business leaves, especially when they may have had access to key business information and subsequently move to another employer (or even competitor).
• For these employees, specific contract clauses may be used to protect your assets, with a key example being the use of confidentiality clauses and restrictive covenants.
• At Moore Barlow we can provide you with the specialist legal advice you may need, thanks to the help of our team of experts. We will help to ensure that these contract clauses are drafted properly and can be enforced to the fullest extent, protecting you and your business.
• We will discuss how we can specifically help you, identifying your needs and making sure your contracts are fit for purpose. If necessary, we can also take action to limit the potential damage if an employee or a whole team has already moved to a competitor.

It is imperative that, as an employer, you protect your assets, as naturally you have invested time and money in your business. You may find yourself in a position of vulnerability if a situation arises where an employee, whom you have trusted and given access to key information, decides to leave and go to another company or set up their own business.

You may be able to mitigate the effect of this happening through a number of different methods, most commonly with the use of protective clauses that are written into employment contracts.

Confidentiality

Protecting confidential information is a priority for every business. This can be done by ensuring that your employment contracts contain specific clauses that prevent the use and disclosure of your sensitive business information.

Our team of experts at Moore Barlow can help you draft an employment contract that includes a confidentiality clause or a non-disclosure agreement if appropriate, ensuring all your business interests are considered.

What are restrictive covenants of employment?

Restrictive covenants of employment are clauses in an employment contract that restrict an employee from engaging in certain activities, such as competing with the company or soliciting its clients, after leaving the company.

In order to protect sensitive business information, client relationships and to ensure the stability of your workforce, a restrictive covenant may be included in an employment contract. These restrictions mean that once an employee’s employment has been terminated, they are contractually restricted from certain conduct for an allotted period of time.

However, if they are not drafted to be appropriate and relevant for the employee in question, they can be deemed unenforceable. You need to be able to prove the restrictive covenant is:

• Reasonable
• Necessary to protect the employer’s legitimate business interests
• Covers a period no longer than is necessary to protect those interests
• Legally compliant and enforceable

You may be able to take legal action if you believe that a former employee has breached a restrictive covenant, for example by claiming damages or obtaining an injunction. Our team at Moore Barlow will move quickly to maximise protection for your business as speed is often essential for damage limitation.