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Restraint of trade, research answer to client update

A twelve-month non-compete across the UK, Ireland and the EU is checked against the restraint-of-trade doctrine, then rewritten as a letter a lay client can act on.

Employment · Employment fee-earner, partner, client-facing associate

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Agents
Research, Employment
First draft
A nine-authority research answer in under a minute, then a plain-English client update from the same matter.

The problem

The associate needs the law. The client needs a decision they can act on, in plain English, with no Latin and no section numbers in the body. Producing both from one research answer, rather than rewriting the legal note by hand, is the difference this workflow makes.

  1. Step 01 of 05

    Ask the question

    Whether a twelve-month covenant preventing employment by any law firm in the UK, Ireland or the EU is enforceable, and whether severance of the offending words is available.

    Matters · 14 Rowan Court, Flat 9 · ResearchSources ranked
    Matter: 14 Rowan CourtEngland and WalesResearch Agent
     
    Prepare for: Court-Ready · Deliver as: Word

    Where we looked

    • 1Your documentsLease, demand, correspondence
    • 2Primary law3 statutes, 1 judgment
    • 3Regulators and the recordNothing needed
    • 4Web searchOff for this question

    Authorities · 4

    • 1

      Law of Property Act 1925, s 146

      c 20
      not yet checked
    • 2

      Housing Act 1996, s 81

      c 52
      not yet checked
    • 3

      Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, s 168

      c 15
      not yet checked
    • 4

      Escalus Properties Ltd v Robinson

      [1996] QB 231 (CA)
      not yet checked

  2. Step 02 of 05

    Read the nine authorities

    The starting position is that the covenant is void unless it protects a legitimate interest; severance is available on narrow conditions only.

    Authorities · 14 · Where we looked
    #ReferenceVerdict
    1

    Tillman v Egon Zehnder Ltd

    [2019] UKSC 32    		not yet checked
    2

    Working Time Regulations 1998

    SI 1998/1833, regs 4 to 5, 10 to 14    		not yet checked
    3

    Coppage v Safety Net Security Ltd

    [2013] EWCA Civ 1176    		not yet checked
    4

    UK GDPR, Articles 6 and 9

    Retained Regulation (EU) 2016/679    		not yet checked
    5

    Employment Rights Act 1996, s 1

    c 18    		not yet checked
    6

    Harlow v Artemis International

    [2008] EWHC 1126 (QB)    		not yet checked

  3. Step 03 of 05

    Write it for the client

    The Employment Agent runs with Prepare for: Client Update and Deliver as: PDF, using the chat thread as a source, and is told not to present an arguable position as a certainty.

    Agents · Contract Agent · New runMatter: Northgate · senior associate hire

    Agent

    Jurisdiction

    Prepare for

    Deliver as

    Instruction

    What should the agent look for?

    Documents

    Drop a contract, or pick one from the matter

    Also on the matter

    • Offer_letter_v3.pdf2 pages
    • Staff_handbook_2025.docx61 pages
    • Board_minute_14_Aug.pdf3 pages
    Platform model · zero data retention · audit register on

  4. Step 04 of 05

    Read the client update

    Plain English, short sentences, citations in brackets at the end of the paragraph, and a recommended narrower covenant.

    Agents · Contract Agent · Employment Contract Compliance ReviewCompleted
    6 items need your confirmation14 authorities · Where we looked

    Senior Associate Employment Contract: English Law Review

    Summary

    1. 1.

      Clause 9(c), non-competeHigh

      The 12-month prohibition on working for any law firm anywhere in the UK, Ireland or EU, in any capacity, is almost certainly wider than reasonably necessary and therefore unlikely to be enforceable.

      Tillman v Egon Zehnder Ltd [2019] UKSC 32
    2. 2.

      Clause 11, data and monitoringHigh

      Blanket contractual consent is not an adequate basis for general employment processing, special-category data or unrestricted monitoring.

      UK GDPR, Arts 6 and 9
    3. 3.

      Clause 4, holiday carry-overHigh

      The unconditional five-day cap conflicts with mandatory carry-over rights where sickness, statutory leave or employer failure prevents leave being taken.

      Working Time Regulations 1998, regs 13 to 13A

  5. Step 05 of 05

    Sign off and share

    The managing partner reads the letter, opens Authorities, clicks Verify all, and either downloads the PDF or shares it with a passcode link.

    Client sharing · Employment Contract Compliance Review

    What travels

    Protection

    Six-digit passcode4 8 2 · 9 1 7
    Expires in
    share.legalaispace.com/s/k7Qm…

    View log · also written to the audit register

    1. Opened

      client@halcyon-bidco.example
      Today 09:14

    2. Downloaded memo.docx

      client@halcyon-bidco.example
      Today 09:15

    3. Failed passcode attempt

      unknown
      Yesterday 17:40

    4. Link created · expires in 7 days

      E. Vance
      Yesterday 16:02

    The reader sees your firm's name, the sections you chose, and nothing else. No sign-in, no account, no way back into the workspace.

A document, not a transcript.

  • A legal note for the associate citing nine authorities on enforceability and severance.
  • A plain-English client letter built from the same authorities, with no section numbers in the body.
  • A recommended narrower covenant: three to six months, tied to competing work, actual offices and clients with material dealings.
  • Action items and open questions shared across both versions of the answer.

Authorities it checks

  • Nordenfelt v Maxim Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Co Ltd [1894] AC 535
  • Herbert Morris Ltd v Saxelby [1916] 1 AC 688
  • Tillman v Egon Zehnder Ltd [2019] UKSC 32
  • Harcus Sinclair LLP v Your Lawyers Ltd [2021] UKSC 32
  • Credico Marketing Ltd v Lambert [2021] EWCA Civ 1504
Every source it may cite

What it does not do

  • It does not tell the client the covenant is unenforceable outright; 'very unlikely to be enforced' is a deliberately different sentence.
  • It does not draft the replacement covenant as a signature-ready clause without a fee-earner reviewing the client's specific facts.
  • It does not vary an existing signed contract; the note flags that separate advice is needed before doing so.

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