Trade Secrets and Restrictive Covenants

Employees move from company to company more frequently than ever. Restrictive covenants executed prior to employment help protect a company’s trade secrets, confidential information, intellectual property, and customer base while allowing employees to switch employers.

Restrictive Covenants

Standard restrictive covenants include:

• Non-poaching. Companies limit former employees from soliciting their colleagues to work for the new employer with non-poaching agreements.
• Non-compete. Companies may contract with employees to limit a former employee’s ability to work for a competitor. Non-competition clauses are typically limited for a period of time and in a narrow geographic area and address the scope of activity to be restrained.
• Non-solicitation. Employees may sign agreements restricting their ability as former employees to solicit customers (or even suppliers) from the company.

Restrictive covenants are enforceable in the State of Texas. However, there are limitations to the scope of the restrictions. The Alexander Team routinely negotiates and advises clients on restrictive covenants related to employment agreements.

Protecting Trade Secrets

Protecting trade secrets is big business in the State of Texas. A strong technology industry, a busy corporate espionage cottage industry, a strong job market, and an employment-at-will state combine to create trade secrets and intellectual property worth stealing and protecting. For over 20 years, The Alexander Team has been drafting, negotiating, and litigating non-compete, non-solicitation, and non-disclosure agreements. The strategy to protect your intellectual property becomes more complex with inadvertent social media disclosures, government regulations, and highly mobile digital assets. Swift action is almost always required to minimize risks and maximize asset protection. Filing temporary restraining orders and seeking injunctions are often part of the immediate strategy to protect trade secrets.

Experienced. Strategic. Responsive. No-Nonsense.

The Alexander Commercial Litigation Team works with industries from financial services and technology companies to professional services and manufacturing to ensure trade secrets stay secret. Don’t risk losing confidential information, customers, or intellectual property. Call Attorney Mark Alexander to protect your business. (972) 544-6968.

Keeping Businesses Secrets

You have worked hard and spent money to protect your trade secrets and confidential information. Mark has helped businesses protect this information.

• Ex-employee is shut down. When a former employee left our manufacturing client to work for a competitor, the employee shared trade secrets and confidential information. The trial court awarded an injunction to swiftly stop the former employee and competitor from taking advantage of our client’s information.
• Secrets must remain secrets. When a former key employee began sharing information with a competitor, The Alexander Team filed suit. The trial court granted all relief requested.

Call or email Mark A. Alexander. P.C. to protect your business. (972)544-6968.