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Many employers require their employees to sign agreements which contain covenants not to compete with the company.  The enforceability of these restrictive provisions varies from state-to-state and depends on a variety of factors. A former employee who violates an enforceable non-compete agreement may be ordered to cease competitive activity and pay damages to the former employer.  In other covenants, the restrictions may be deemed too restrictive and an undue restraint of trade.

A covenant not to compete is a promise by an employee that he or she will not compete with his or her employer for a specified period of time and/or within a particular geographic location. It may be contained within an employment agreement, or may be a separate contract. Agreements which prevent employees from competing with the employer while employed are enforceable in every jurisdiction. However, agreements which affect an employee’s conduct after employment termination are subject to stricter requirements regarding “reasonableness,” and are generally disallowed in some states, such as California which has enacted statutes against such agreements except in very narrow circumstances.

Even in states where such covenants are enforceable, courts generally disfavor them because they are anti-competitive. Nevertheless, such agreements will be enforced if the former employer can demonstrate the following:
 

• The employee received consideration at the time the agreement was signed;
• The agreement protects the employers legitimate business interest; and
• The agreement is reasonable to protect the employer, but not unduly burdensome to the employee who has a right to make a living.

Consideration

Under the principles of contract law, all agreements must be supported by consideration in order to be enforceable. The employee signing the covenant not to compete must receive something of value in exchange for making the promise. If the agreement is signed prior to employment, the employment itself constitutes consideration. If, however, the agreement is signed after employment commences, the employee must receive something else of value in exchange for the agreement to be enforceable.

Legitimate Business Interest

Legitimate business interests can include protecting and preserving confidential information (trade secrets) and customer relationships. Most states recognize an employer’s right to prevent an employee from taking advantage of information acquired or relationships developed as a result of the employment arrangement, in order to later compete against the employer.

Reasonableness

Based on the circumstances, a covenant must be reasonably necessary. If the covenant is overly broad, or unduly burdensome on the employee, the court may refuse to enforce the agreement. Therefore, the covenant must be reasonable in both duration and scope. If a covenant is overly broad, the court may narrow its scope or duration and enforce it accordingly. But if a covenant is so broad that is clearly was designed to prevent lawful competition, as opposed to protecting legitimate business interests, the court may strike down the agreement in its entirety.

To enforce a covenant not to compete, the employer can file a court action seeking an injunction against the employee’s continued violations of the agreement. The company can also seek monetary damages to cover losses resulting from the employee’s breach.

Your family-owned business is not just one of your most significant assets, it is also your legacy. Both must be protected by implementing a transition plan to arrange for transfer to your children or other loved ones upon your retirement or death.

More than 70 percent of family businesses do not survive the transition to the next generation. Ensuring your family does not fall victim to the same fate requires a unique combination of proper estate and tax planning, business acumen and common-sense communication with those closest to you. Below are some steps you can take today to make sure your family business continues from generation to generation.

• Meet with an estate planning attorney to develop a comprehensive plan that includes a will and/or living trust. Your estate plan should account for issues related to both the transfer of your assets, including the family business and estate taxes.
• Communicate with all family members about their wishes concerning the business. Enlist their involvement in establishing a business succession plan to transfer ownership and control to the younger generation. Include in-laws or other non-blood relatives in these discussions. They offer a fresh perspective and may have talents and skills that will help the company.
• Make sure your succession plan includes:  preserving and enhancing “institutional memory”, who will own the company, advisors who can aid the transition team and ensure continuity, who will oversee day-to-day operations, provisions for heirs who are not directly involved in the business, tax saving strategies, education and training of family members who will take over the company and key employees.
• Discuss your estate plan and business succession plan with your family members and key employees. Make sure everyone shares the same basic understanding.
• Plan for liquidity. Establish measures to ensure the business has enough cash flow to pay taxes or buy out a deceased owner’s share of the company. Estate taxes are based on the full value of your estate. If your estate is asset-rich and cash-poor, your heirs may be forced to liquidate assets in order to cover the taxes, thus removing your “family” from the business.
• Implement a family employment plan to establish policies and procedures regarding when and how family members will be hired, who will supervise them, and how compensation will be determined.
• Have a buy-sell agreement in place to govern the future sale or transfer of shares of stock held by employees or family members.
• Add independent professionals to your board of directors.

You’ve worked very hard over your lifetime to build your family-owned enterprise. However, you should resist the temptation to retain total control of your business well into your golden years. There comes a time to retire and focus your priorities on ensuring a smooth transition that preserves your legacy – and your investment – for generations to come.

Should you incorporate your business in your home state? What about Delaware or Nevada, long known as havens for corporate entities? This decision should not be taken lightly because incorporating your business in a particular state will determine, to a significant extent, the laws that will apply to your business.

Often times, the best choice for corporate jurisdiction is the home state where your business is located.  There are several reasons for this. First, filing in a different state will not absolve you of the obligation to pay corporate taxes and comply with filing requirements in the state where your corporation has its operations. For example, if the corporation is located in California it will be subject to California fees and taxes, either as a domestic California Corporationor as a “foreign corporation” doing business in California. Additionally, if you are incorporated in a state other than where you are physically located, you will likely incur another set of filing fees and expenses for a registered agent who is physically located in the state of incorporation.

Many companies opt to incorporate in the State of Delaware, even though very few of them are actually based there. Approximately 60% of Fortune 500 companies are incorporated in Delaware. These major companies do so because Delaware’s corporate laws are generally favorable to business and management.  Delaware also has a special Court of Chancery that hears only business law cases. These courts afford companies a degree of consistency and predictability in rulings, which may or may not be found in other states.

Many entrepreneurs also consider the State of Nevada. Many companies are attracted to Nevada’s pro-business laws and favorable tax policy. Nevada also has a special business court, similar to Delaware’s Court of Chancery, although it is not as well established and lacks the breadth of case law that Delaware has.

If your company is engaged in risky or litigious business, then Delaware,Nevada or Wyoming may provide some additional liability protection.  For businesses that are essentially holding companies or otherwise lack operations as a traditional business would, forming a company in these states can also make a lot of sense since the business would not be subject to the laws of multiple states.

Like most relationships, business partnerships frequently experience highs and lows, with periods of both prosperity and turmoil. When ongoing disagreements cannot be resolved, or one partner decides to leave the business, the remaining partner(s) often seeks to buy out the shares of the departing party. If there is no shareholders’ agreement in place, and the partners are in agreement, the dissolution of the partnership can usually be accomplished with the help of a qualified business law attorney and a CPA.

If the business is a corporation, the purchase would likely be structured as a stock sale. In essence, one party would purchase the exiting partner’s shares of stock in the corporation, in exchange for the purchase price. The purchase price could either be paid up front at the closing, or some, or even all, could be paid to him over a period of time. If any of the purchase price is to be paid over a period of time there normally would be a promissory note that the remaining partner(s) would sign documenting that the departing partner is owed the money, and providing for payment terms. These payment terms would include the interest rate, number of payments, and frequency of payments. Typically the remaining partner(s) stock in the company would be pledged as security for the repayment on the note. If the business is not a corporation the steps would be similar but slightly different.

Prior to the dissolution of the partnership, all parties must consider whether the business has any debt. If it does, all partners will need to carefully review the loan documents to make certain that the partner’s departure from the business does not trigger some type of acceleration of the debt. In a small business it is normal for a lender to require the business owners to personally guarantee the debt. So, if this is the case, the business may need to negotiate with the lenders to get the exiting partner released from the debt.

Another item to consider, which should be explored with the guidance of a qualified tax advisor, is whether the partner’s sale of the business to the remaining partner(s) will trigger any taxes. This may be more so from the departing partner’s standpoint but there may be some capital gains taxes that will have to be paid and all parties should get appropriate advice.

Finally, if there is real estate involved that is used by the business, there may be steps that have to be taken to address that. Perhaps the business leases office space from someone else. The business will need to make certain that the change in ownership does not somehow violate the lease and if it does, the partners should seek the landlord’s consent. If the departing partner has personally guaranteed the lease, the remaining partner(s) may need to negotiate with the landlord to release the exiting party.

The bottom line is there are many factors that come into play when dissolving a business partnership. An attorney should be contacted before any decisions are made to ensure all of the necessary details and consequences are considered in the preparation of a purchase agreement.

Since the 1930s, businesses wishing to secure investment dollars have faced regulations banning them from appealing directly to the public via advertising. Instead, businesses have only been allowed to pursue investment funds via prescribed channels and from wealthy individuals. The reasoning behind the ban was that if the general public were subjected to direct appeals for investment by hedge funds, venture capitalists, start-ups and others, the rate of financial fraud would increase.

The investment advertising ban has long been considered an obstacle to entrepreneurship; it has been identified as a drag on growth, employment and businesses’ ability to raise funds, as well as an impediment to everyday investors’ awareness of legitimate and promising investment opportunities.

In the summer of 2013, the investment advertising ban was lifted and changed the way in which business owners may solicit and secure financing from investors. On July 10th, the Securities and Exchange Commission voted four to one to lift the advertising ban as part of the Jobs Act. The fear of fraud remains, but it is believed by many, including a majority in congress, that the lifting of the ban will allow companies to experience greater growth, raise money and hire workers.

Although there are a multitude of benefits expected from the revocation of investment advertising restrictions, there are a number of increased risks and challenges that both business owners and investors must be cognizant of. These include:

• The new rules will allow organizations seeking investors to advertise to anyone. Only “accredited” investors, though, will be allowed to actually invest. Accreditation will be determined by individuals’ net worth and/or income, but will not take into account individuals’ home values and other factors.
• Some states are adopting their own rules to protect investors. (North Carolina, for example, is working to pass a law that requires investors to sign an affidavit stating that they are aware that investing is high-risk and that they may lose their investment.) What may be legal in one state may not be legal in another.
• Organizations that are associated with “bad actors” such as felons will not be allowed to advertise for investment. There is confusion, however, regarding the exact meaning of “associated with” and “bad actors”. Until these terms are fully defined, unintentional illegal activity could occur.
• An increase in investment activity will likely lead to an increase in fraud.

To minimize the risk of illegal activity and fraud, consult a business law attorney prior to advertising or accepting investments under the new laws. An attorney can work to ensure that your organization follows all applicable laws when advertising and accepting investment dollars. An attorney can also assist investors by ensuring that organizations seeking investments have provided accurate information regarding finances and business plans.

Email, intra-office messaging and digital image transference are hardly new concepts, however few business owners realize the long-term implications of this style of free-flowing communication, particularly in light of litigation and e-discovery requests. If you are a business owner either engaged in litigation or preparing for possible conflict in the future, one of the best strategies for your company is to implement and maintain an electronic evidence policy for employees. Too often, damaging information, accidental concessions or discriminatory language is casually exchanged between two employees — believing to be engaged in a private chat — only to be uncovered by a sweeping e-discovery request from opposing counsel. To avoid this result and protect your business from unnecessary exposure to liability, consider meeting with a business litigation lawyer about your company’s electronic information policies.

Electronically Stored Information and Litigation Holds

Once a civil complaint is filed, both parties are entitled to request and receive evidence from the opponent in a process known as discovery. Requests for information need not be necessarily admissible at a subsequent trial, however any non-privileged information that may be relevant to a party’s claim or defense is discoverable. In the context of electronic discovery, it is considered routine discovery practice to require opponents to place a “litigation hold” on electronically stored information, thereby preventing companies from destroying or erasing data. These holds generally include all emails, voicemails or electronically stored documents. In fact, various software companies have developed products to help organizations manage and store data pursuant to a litigation hold.

Disastrous Consequences for Employers

In preparation for possible litigation, it is vital for your employees to carefully consider all electronic communication, as one pejorative email could bring your case to a screeching halt. In the context of employment litigation, a plaintiff claiming workplace discrimination could prevail, thereby costing your company thousands of dollars, all due to the discovery of derogatory jokes uncovered by electronic discovery. The same is true in the context of any other area of business law wherein one employee admits wrongdoing, breach or fraud in a casual email to a colleague. Once the litigation hold is in place, there is no telling what the opponent could uncover, thereby placing your business at an increased risk of liability.

Speak with a Reputable Business Litigation Attorney Today

E-discovery is a complex area of the law. However, with the proper workplace policies, businesses like yours can work to minimize the potential consequences of the vast, boundless litigation hold and can rest assured that office emails do not contain inadvertent confessions, admissions or disclosures. If you are facing upcoming litigation and are seeking counsel on these issues, it’s important that you contact an experienced attorney with extensive knowledge on electronic evidence and information policies.

A registered agent is someone that you as a business owner designate to accept legal papers if your company is sued or named in any type of administrative agency case. If your business is legally established within a state in which you don’t maintain a physical presence, you are often required to appoint a registered agent that is physically located within its borders

A registered agent can be an individual or a corporation. Many small businesses simply list one of the owners as the registered agent, if any of them reside in the state in which the business is formed. In situations where none of the owners are residents of the state in which the business is formed, there are a number of options. Some attorneys are willing to serve as the registered agent for their clients’ businesses and may do so for no additional fee, provided that the attorney herself is a resident. There are also companies that will serve as the registered agent for an annual fee. Generally, you must name your company’s registered agent when you file your articles of formation with the appropriate government agency (in most states, the Department of State).

There are generally two situations where you are required to maintain a registered agent:

1. When your business is formed in a state in which you don’t maintain a physical presence, such as your company headquarters.
2. When your business conducts intrastate commerce within a particular state. For example, if you register your business in Delaware, but you operate a few stores in Virginia. This is an intrastate transaction because your products are being sold directly to consumers within Virginia. Note that selling products through an online store and shipping the products to Virginia would not be considered intrastate commerce. Nor would sales through distributors of your products.

The registered agent must be an individual that lives in that state, or a business that has offices in that state. So, if you live in Delaware you could serve as agent for your company in Delaware. However, if your company also does intrastate business in Virginia, you will have to appoint someone else who lives in Virginia, or a company with offices in Virginia, to serve as your registered agent.

Even if you do reside in the state where you need to designate a registered agent, there are advantages in designating a third party, such as maintaining privacy or preventing a litigant from serving you with a lawsuit in front of your customers and employees. A business law attorney can help you sort through the key considerations and take steps to make sure you comply with all local statutes.