Protecting vital interests: noncompete and nondisclosure agreements

In Business Organizations by Coolidge Wall

Diverse businesses operating in virtually every industry in Ohio and across the country contemplate a corporate double-edged sword when it comes to some highly valued employees with key skills and intimate access to proprietary data.

And that is this: They obviously want to secure the employment of such individuals, but they must also safeguard the business against the possibility that those singular workers might leave the company in the future and compromise confidential information by revealing it to competitors.

We clarify that concern on a website page at the long-tenured Dayton law firm of Coolidge Wall that discusses noncompete and nondisclosure agreements, noting therein that, “When an employee chooses to pursue a new opportunity, it is essential that the intellectual property interests of his or her employer be protected.”

How can a company duly safeguard its critically important trade secrets and other private data that helps drive its operations?

Close and timely consultation with a proven business law firm that routinely assists business principals in employment matters is a logical first step to take to ensure peace of mind that company integrity is maintained following the departure of a key employee.

The attorneys at Coolidge Wall have a deep well of on-point experience in protecting the intellectual property of employers in Ohio, across the country and in numerous locales spanning the globe. We draft, negotiate and enforce applicable employment agreements that seek to be reasonable yet airtight and that fully safeguard the interests of employers.

As we note on the above-cited web page, we focus on making every employment contract “clear, enforceable and legally sound,” knowing that doing so goes far toward persuading a court that restrictions on a departing employee are reasonable and lawful.

Of course, it is sometimes necessary to take an employment-related matter to court, and we are well prepared to do that to protect the rights and interests of our business clients.

We welcome readers’ contacts to the firm for further information.