Are non-compete agreements always enforceable?

The short answer is no. In New York and New Jersey, the trend is actually to move away from non-compete agreements. Non-compete agreements are really only necessary if they are narrowly tailored to protect a company’s specific interest. If they are either over broad by geography, scope of time, or something like that, the court may invalidate it or the court could actually cut down the restraints that are already in the non-compete agreement. Also, if an employer terminates you for no reason and then seeks to enforce a non-compete, most cases in New York and New Jersey, they won’t be able to.