non-compete agreements

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Dawn Mertineit, Marcus Mintz, and Michael Wexler Author Chapter on US Trade Secrets Trends in Chambers Global Practice Guide

By Dawn Mertineit, Michael Wexler & Marcus Mintz on May 13, 2026

Posted in AI, Computer Fraud, Cybersecurity, Defend Trade Secrets Act, Employment Agreements, Federal Non-Compete Legislation Update, FTC’s Crackdown on Non-Competes, Intellectual Property, Legislation, litigation, Non-Compete Enforceability, Non-Competes, Restrictive Covenants, Trade Secrets, Unfair Competition

Dawn Mertineit, Marcus Mintz, and Michael Wexler, co-chairs of Seyfarth’s national Trade Secrets, Computer Fraud, and Non-Competes practice, are among the contributing authors to the Chambers Trade Secrets 2026 Global Practice Guide.

Mertineit, Mintz, and Wexler authored Chapter 13, “USA Trends and Developments,” examining the evolving US legal landscape governing restrictive covenants, trade secret protection, and employee…

Webinar – FTC Non-Compete Ban Two Years Later: Enforcement & Workarounds

By Jesse M. Coleman, Gary Friedman & Eron Reid on April 22, 2026

Posted in Employment Agreements, FTC’s Crackdown on Non-Competes, Legislation, Non-Competes, Restrictive Covenants, State Non-Compete Legislation Update, Trade Secrets

1776887496-13415-6164-lxb_photo6y5iySR_UXclxb_photo- — Aida L, Unsplash

Thursday, May 28, 2026
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Central
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Mountain
10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Pacific

About the Program

Two years after the FTC’s landmark final rule on non-compete agreements, and more than a year after the rule was set aside by a federal court, employers…

Virginia Moves to Protect Laid Off Workers

By Marcus Mintz on March 5, 2026

Posted in Employment Agreements, Legislation, Non-Competes, Restrictive Covenants, State Non-Compete Legislation Update

1772743893-13379-4181-lxb_photoCtknYD1I5colxb_photo- — Kellie Shannon, Unsplash

Virginia’s Senate Bill 170 (2026 Session) introduces new limitations on the enforceability of restrictive covenants by protecting employees who are terminated without cause. More specifically, the proposed amendment will render any non-compete unenforceable against an employee who was discharged from employment unless severance benefits or other monetary payments are made to the employee. The law is silent as to what…

Florida Becomes Most Employer-Friendly State for Non-Competes

By Bob Stevens on July 9, 2025

Posted in Employment Agreements, Legislation, Non-Competes, Practice & Procedure, Restrictive Covenants, State Non-Compete Legislation Update

I took this picture when I went to Ultra Music Festival, Miami in 2019 — Denys Kostyuchenko, Unsplash

As jurisdictions around the country continue to impose limitations—or outright bans—on restrictive covenants, Florida is taking a decidedly different approach. The Florida Contracts Honoring Opportunity, Investment, Confidentiality, and Economic Growth (CHOICE) Act (“the Act”) effective as of July 1, 2025 permits employers to use non-compete and garden leave restrictions up to 4 years in length with qualifying “covered employees,” along…

Seyfarth’s Dawn Mertineit Authors “USA Trends and Developments” in Chambers Trade Secrets Global Practice Guide

By Dawn Mertineit on May 14, 2025

Posted in Defend Trade Secrets Act, Employee Non-Solicits, Non-Competes, Restrictive Covenants, Trade Secrets

We are pleased to share that Seyfarth partner Dawn Mertineit authored the “USA Trends and Developments” section in the recently released Chambers Trade Secrets Global Practice Guide. This highly regarded publication provides timely insights and analysis on the evolving legal landscape of trade secrets law across the globe.

Dawn addresses the growing challenges businesses face in protecting their trade…

Restrictive Covenant Law For The First Four Months of 2025

By Jesse M. Coleman, Eron Reid & Reeves Gillis on May 6, 2025

Posted in Employment Agreements, Federal Non-Compete Legislation Update, FTC’s Crackdown on Non-Competes, Health Care, Non-Competes, Restrictive Covenants, State Non-Compete Legislation Update

explore all that the world has to offer... — Morgan Lane, Unsplash

With the FTC Ban on non-competes essentially dead in the Courts of Appeal, various states and agencies have taken up the mantle to further limit or expand the use of restrictive covenants for certain populations in 2025.

Below is a list of major legislative changes, judicial decisions, and agency actions at the state and federal level affecting non-compete agreements in…

Wyoming Bans Most Non-Compete Agreements Starting July 1, 2025

By Marcus Mintz & Michael Wexler on April 10, 2025

Posted in Employment Agreements, Non-Competes, State Non-Compete Legislation Update, Trade Secrets

1744302968-13194-8612-lxb_photoWmFnT03yrZElxb_photo- — Joe Pee, Unsplash

High-Level

FTC Requests Stay of Appeals to Challenges to FTC Non-Compete Rule Citing New Administration

By Jesse M. Coleman & Eron Reid on March 11, 2025

Posted in Federal Non-Compete Legislation Update, FTC’s Crackdown on Non-Competes, Legislation, litigation, Non-Compete Enforceability, Non-Competes

1741707807-13184-5506-lxb_photobAQH53VquTclxb_photo- — Sebastian Pichler, Unsplash

On March 7, 2025, lawyers for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed motions requesting a 120-day stay of the agency’s appeal of district court decisions in the Fifth Circuit and Eleventh Circuit, which had blocked the FTC’s proposed ban on non-competes (the “Rule”) in the Ryan v. FTC and Properties of the Villages (“POV”) v. FTC cases, respectively. The nearly-identical…

FTC Launches Joint Task Force to Investigate and Prosecute Non-Compete Agreements, as FTC Chairman declares the GOP a “Workers’ Party”

By Jesse M. Coleman, Michael Wexler & Gio Perez on March 7, 2025

Posted in Employment Agreements, Federal Non-Compete Legislation Update, FTC’s Crackdown on Non-Competes, Non-Competes, Restrictive Covenants, Unfair Competition

People signing documents for a wedding — Romain Dancre, Unsplash

As Republicans regain control of the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) under the Trump-Vance Administration, employers that looked to maintain and enforce their non-compete agreements with employees may have found solace in the statements of certain FTC Commissioners who vocally opposed the FTC’s nationwide ban on non-compete agreements. However, recent statements by the FTC’s newly-appointed Chair, Andrew Ferguson, along with the…

Acting NLRB General Counsel Rescinds Biden-Era Policy Guidance on Non-Compete Agreements

By Jesse M. Coleman & Eron Reid on February 26, 2025

Posted in FTC’s Crackdown on Non-Competes, Legislation, Non-Compete Enforceability, Non-Competes, Restrictive Covenants

1740599816-13162-4284-lxb_photoVqg809B-SrElxb_photo- — Jackson Simmer, Unsplash

On February 14, 2025, NLRB Acting General Counsel William B. Cowan rescinded a number of active General Counsel Memoranda citing an increasing “backlog of cases [grown] to the point where it is no longer sustainable.” Among those rescinded were a pair of memos issued by recently ousted NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo that declare non-compete agreements between employers and workers…

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