It’s August of 2018 and non-compete agreements are still rampant in American markets. Not surprisingly, non-compete litigation remains big business for management-side lawyers, particularly at large corporate firms. But there are cracks in the armor. More and more states are contemplating severe restrictions on the use of non-compete agreements, if not outright bans. And several … Continue reading
On April 3, 2018, the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division announced the first no-poaching antitrust settlement of the Trump Administration. Previously, senior DOJ officials had made public comments indicating that the DOJ intends to aggressively police no-poaching agreements, including via criminal prosecutions. According to the DOJ, the antitrust conspiracy involved two of the world’s largest … Continue reading
In a surprising continuation of Obama-era policy, the Trump DOJ has announced that it will pursue criminal action against firms using no-poaching agreements. On January 18th, 2018, while speaking at an Antitrust Research Foundation conference, Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim noted that the DOJ has not backed away from previous no-poaching guidance. Instead, AAG Delrahim … Continue reading