Employment Agreements

Maryland Attorney For Severance, Non-Compete, and Other Employment Agreements

At Farber Legal in Rockville/North Bethesda, Maryland, our lawyer counsel employees and employers throughout Maryland and the Washington, D.C., area about their rights and options in all aspects of the employment relationship.

Our attorney often advise employees at the beginning and at the end of their employment. At the beginning, we review and negotiate employment contracts and noncompete agreements. At the end, we may advise employees about whether they should accept a severance agreement or about the impact of any noncompete agreement they signed.

Severance agreements

Employees cannot be pressured into signing a severance agreement. If you are over the age of 40, you have 21 days to consider a severance agreement and consult with an attorney. If you have already signed a severance agreement, you can revoke your signature within seven days.

While severance agreements have many uses, employers often offer severance when they want to cut off an employment relationship and avoid the possibility of a lawsuit. By requiring the employee to sign a release in exchange for the severance pay, the employer can cut off all claims the employee could have brought against the company up to his termination date.

Our lawyer often advise employees about other legal options they may have, such as filing an age discrimination lawsuit. We also negotiate severance agreements. Many employees seek health insurance continuation, additional money, references, or other considerations from their employer.

Non-compete agreements

A non-compete agreement is either a separate agreement or a clause in an employment or severance agreement that prohibits an employee from working in a related business in his/her area for a certain length of time. Non-compete agreements prevent an employee from using a business's confidential information.

An employer can make the signing of a non-compete agreement part of the terms of employment without creating an employment contract. For an employer, it is important not to make it seem that by signing the non-compete agreement, an employee can expect to be employed forever. A non-compete agreement applies only to one specific aspect of an employment relationship: the confidential information related to the business.

Many employees feel that non-compete agreements are unduly restrictive. Our lawyer can review these review these agreements and seek to make them more reasonable.

For more information about employment agreements, contact a lawyer at Farber Legal. We offer an initial consultation at a discounted fee. We represent clients in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., area, including Rockville and North Bethesda.