An agreement between an employer and an employee limiting an employee's competitive activities for a specified period of time after the employment relationship ends. This Standard Document is drafted in favor of the employer. It is jurisdiction neutral but may be customized to comply with applicable state law using Practical Law state content, as described below. This Standard Document has integrated notes with important explanations and drafting tips.

For information on state law requirements regarding non-competes and trade secret laws, see Non-Compete Laws: State Q&A Tool and Trade Secret Laws: State Q&A Tool. For an up-to-date 50-state comparison of non-compete laws and requirements, see Quick Compare Chart: State Non-Compete Laws. For state-specific non-compete agreements and related resources, see State Restrictive Covenants Toolkit.