Restrictive covenants

New and updated

• Podcast: Restrictive covenants - protecting your business

  Date:

  25 May 2018

  Type:

  Audio and video

  Special guest Patrick Brodie talks about using restrictive covenants to protect your business effectively.

• Restrictive covenants: Non-compete clause too wide to be enforceable

  Date:

  8 February 2018

  Type:

  Law reports

  In Tillman v Egon Zehnder, the Court of Appeal held that a six-month non-compete clause that prevented the employee from being "concerned or interested in any business carried on in competition" after termination of employment was unenforceable as it would bar her from being a shareholder in a competing business.

• Cases on appeal

  Date:

  1 January 2018

  Type:

  Law reports

  Cases on appeal provides news on key case law developments that are expected.

• Common contract terms

  Type:

  Employment law manual

  Updated to include information on Tillman v Egon Zehnder Ltd, in which the Court of Appeal considered the enforceability of a post-termination restraint clause.

• Breach of contract: nominal damages for misuse of confidential information

  Date:

  6 March 2017

  Type:

  Law reports

  The High Court has held that two ex-employees breached their contracts of employment by misusing confidential information belonging to their former employer's business. However, the High Court found that the employer had not suffered any financial loss and that it was entitled to only nominal damages of £1 from each employee.

• Libel: Email stating employee dismissed for gross misconduct not libellous

  Date:

  1 November 2016

  Type:

  Law reports

  In Theedom v Nourish Trading Ltd (t/a CSP Recruitment) and another [2016] IRLR 866 HC, the High Court dismissed an employee's libel claim in respect of emails sent by his employer about his misconduct.

• Restrictive covenant breach: £30,000 and injunction for employer

  Date:

  19 August 2016

  Type:

  Law reports

  In DLA Piper's latest case report, the High Court awarded damages of £30,000 and gave an injunction to a company after a former employee breached restrictive covenants by using a combination of customer contact details and information from purchase logs acquired during his employment to poach customers.

• No libel in email stating employee dismissed for gross misconduct

  Date:

  21 June 2016

  Type:

  Law reports

  The High Court has held that an employer's email to its clients advising that a named employee had been dismissed for gross misconduct was not defamatory. The employer had a defence to libel because the statement was substantially true.

• Case round-up

  Date:

  1 June 2016

  Type:

  Law reports

  Beth Staniland is a trainee solicitor, and Emma Cousins, Ciara Jenkins, Iain Naylor and Lucy Sorell are associates at Addleshaw Goddard LLP. They round up the latest rulings.

• Call for evidence on restrictive covenants

  Type:

  Consultations

  The Government has launched a call for evidence seeking views on the impact of restrictive covenants (non-compete clauses) on business innovation.