Good Article from Knoxville News Sentinel Regarding Non-Compete Agreements

The Knoxville News Sentinel published a good article by attorney Chris McCarty regarding the enforceability of non-compete agreements in Tennessee. Courts disfavor them but will enforce them if they are reasonable.  While the article discusses the reasonableness of time and geographic restrictions, the scope of the client restrictions must be considered as well.  And I wholeheartedly agree that employers should use well drafted non-competition agreements tailored for various positions or tiers of employees rather than using a "one size fits all" form obtained from the internet.  I've had cases with attorneys representing employers seeking to enforce non-competes who made it clear very early on in the case that they didn't prepare the poorly drafted agreement sought to be enforced by their clients.  This really is an area where if you don't pay now, you will pay more later.