Massachusetts non-compete law

Massachusetts has adopted what may be the country’s singlemost employee-side non-compete law. That law, among other things, mandates at least 1/2-year’s garden leave, in other words, at least 1/2 of an employee’s average salary (with the formula to calculate specified in the statute). Timing requirements are imposed regarding the process by which covenants can be entered into with an employee. Additional constraints exist on the duration and geographic scope of permitted non-competes. The law applies to non-competes entered into on or after 10/1/18. It does not apply to a number of other types of covenants, including non-solicits of employees, non-solicits of customers, non-competes entered into for the sale of a business and non-competes entered into outside of employment. Employers with non-competes in Massachusetts are advised to immediately begin analyzing their agreements.

Source: Massachusetts’ 2018 act entitled, “An act relative to the judicial enforcement of noncompetition agreements”