In people-intensive businesses with high levels of client interaction — like public relations — employees are often asked to sign a non-compete agreements, restrictive covenants that curtail their ability to compete with their former firms.
But PR firms should be aware that non-compete agreements may not be enforceable if the employee is an at-will employee and terminated without cause.
Employees in many states—even highly compensated employees— are considered to be “at will” which means they can be terminated for any reason (or no reason) so long as it is not unlawfully based on a protected classes such as age, sex, race, religion, marital status, or national origin.