If you manage employees across multiple states — or even just here in Connecticut — you already know that noncompete law is anything but simple. With all fifty states and Washington, D.C. regulating noncompetes in some form, compliance has become a logistical challenge, particularly for multi-state employers. Some states ban them outright. Others limit them to certain wage thresholds. Still others enforce them but apply very different standards when it comes to reasonableness, protectible interests, and available remedies. And the landscape continues to shift, as we have covered on this blog with the FTC’s attempted ban, state legislative proposals, and evolving case law.
That is why I am pleased to announce that a new treatise — Noncompete Agreements and Related Restrictive Covenants — has just been published by PLI (the Practicing Law Institute). I had the privilege of co-authoring the Connecticut chapter, and I am proud of the comprehensive resource that the full team of contributors has put together.
About the Book
This publication provides a state-by-state review of the laws of restrictive covenants, written by lawyers with extensive experience in noncompete law. It is designed for lawyers — whether outside counsel or in-house counsel — who will be negotiating, drafting, enforcing, and counseling clients on restrictive covenant agreements.
What makes this book particularly useful is its consistent framework. Each chapter focuses on a single state and provides information on the same set of key topics, making it easy to compare the law across jurisdictions. Those topics include:
- Statutory references, if any
- Enforcement of restrictive covenants
- Protectible interests
- Drafting considerations
- Special issues for specific occupations
- Litigation considerations, strategies, and remedies
The book is edited by Russell Beck and Erika Hahn. Russell is nationally recognized for his trade secrets and noncompete experience and was invited to the White House to develop guidelines for the proper use of noncompetes. My thanks to Russell for the invitation to participate in such a compelling book.
The Connecticut Chapter
Restrictive covenants are a topic we deal with regularly in our practice. Whether we are helping employers draft enforceable noncompete agreements, advising startups on how to protect their intellectual property from day one, or counseling clients through the patchwork of state laws that now govern this area, it is one of the issues that comes up most frequently. Our Connecticut chapter covers all of the key topics practitioners need — from the current statutory framework to the nuances of enforcement, protectible interests, drafting best practices, and litigation strategy.
For years, we have been tracking noncompete developments closely on this blog — from the Biden administration’s executive order directing the FTC to examine ways to restrict them, to the FTC’s proposed and then final rule banning most noncompetes, to the federal court injunction that effectively put that ban on hold. We have also tracked state-level developments, including in states like Massachusetts, where employers face strict requirements around salary thresholds, garden leave payments, and notice periods. Connecticut has considered similar measures in recent legislative sessions as well and is poised to do so again this year.
This chapter distills that knowledge and more into a practical, comprehensive guide that practitioners can use as a reference when advising clients on Connecticut restrictive covenant law.
A Resource for Practitioners
If you are an employer with operations in Connecticut — or across multiple states — this book is an essential guide for navigating the legal patchwork of restrictive covenant laws. Having a single resource that applies the same analytical framework to every jurisdiction is invaluable for in-house counsel managing multi-state workforces and for outside counsel advising clients on compliance.
You can find more information about the book and order it through the PLI website.
If you have questions about noncompete agreements, restrictive covenants, or any other employment law issue in Connecticut, please do not hesitate to reach out. This is an area where getting the details right from the start — whether in drafting, enforcement, or litigation — makes all the difference.