ALG's Jim Eisenmann Appears on 60 Minutes to Discuss the MSPB
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Alden Law Group, PLLC

Washington, DC Federal Employment + Labor Attorneys

  • About Us
  • What We Do
    • Employment Contracts
    • Employees’ Workplace Obligations
    • Discrimination & Harassment
    • Federal Employees
    • Security Clearances
    • D.C. Employees
    • Leaves of Absences
    • Privacy
    • Virginia Employees
    • Wage & Hour
    • Whistleblowing
    • Wrongful Discharge
    • Human Resources & Advice for Employers
  • Who We Are
    • Kristin D. Alden
    • Michelle F. Bercovici
    • Wynter P. Allen
    • James Eisenmann
    • Ross E. Fishbein
    • Dominick Schumacher
    • Philip A. Mueller
  • Media
  • Resources
    • Notable Cases
    • Testimonials
    • About Consultations
    • FAQs
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Employees’ Workplace Obligations

Home / Practice Areas / Employees’ Workplace Obligations / Trade Secrets, Duty of Loyalty

Trade Secrets, Duty of Loyalty

Even if you don’t have a written employment agreement, or if your written agreement doesn’t specifically mention “trade secrets,” “fiduciary duty,” “tortious interference,” or “defamation,” under many state laws you probably have obligations to your employer to protect its interests.

Trade secrets can be any business information that gives a company an advantage over its competition. Trade secrets can include client lists, formulas, processes, methods, techniques, and more. Employees often have obligations to protect and not use their company’s trade secrets to their own advantage.

Most employees also have a fiduciary duty of loyalty to their employer. Your fiduciary duty means that you cannot compete with your employer or take business from your employer. Although this duty ends when you leave the employer, it may restrict what you can do to plan your departure while you remain working for your company.

Employees also have obligations to protect the employer’s (or former employer’s) business prospects and reputation. This means that there are limitations on how you can compete with your former employer and what information you can spread about them.

If you are considering a career move, be careful about what work product you take with you. If you’re not sure about what you are allowed to take with you, talk with a lawyer before making a potentially serious and costly mistake.

Primary Sidebar

PRACTICE AREAS

  • Employment Contracts
    • Executive Employment Agreements
    • Non-Compete Agreements
    • Non-Solicitation Agreements
    • Separation Agreements
  • Employees’ Workplace Obligations
    • Trade Secrets, Duty of Loyalty
  • Discrimination & Harassment
    • Sex
    • LGBTQ + Gender Identity
    • Family Responsibility
    • National Origin
    • Religion
    • Disability and Requests for Accommodations
    • HIV Status
    • Age Discrimination
    • Hostile work environment & Harassment
    • Pay Discrimination, Equal Pay Act
    • Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
    • Retaliation
  • Federal Employees
    • Congressional Accountability Act
    • Discrimination in Federal Sector
    • Discipline and Other Adverse Actions in Federal Sector
    • Foreign Service Officers
    • Government Ethics
    • Agency Internal Grievance Systems
    • Intelligence Community
    • Federal Sector Labor Unions
    • Law Enforcement in Federal Sector
    • Inspector General and OPR Investigations
    • Union Grievances in Federal Sector
    • VERA/VSIP
    • Whistleblowing in Federal Sector
  • Security Clearances
  • D.C. Employees
    • Office of Employee Appeals
    • D.C. Employees Discrimination Complaints
    • Union Grievance Processes
    • D.C. Government Whistleblowing Rights
  • Leaves of Absences
    • Family Medical Leave Act
    • Uniformed Service Members
    • District of Columbia Leave Laws
  • Privacy
    • Medical Inquires
    • FOIA
    • Privacy Act
    • Medical Records
  • Virginia Employees
    • Virginia State Grievance Process
    • Virginia County Grievance Process
    • Virginia State Employee Whistleblowing Rights
  • Wage & Hour
    • Federal Fair Labor Standards Act
    • Wage and Hour in D.C., Maryland and Virginia
  • Whistleblowing
    • Federal Employees
    • Sarbanes-Oxley & SEC Whistleblowing
    • Federal Government Contractors
    • Equal Employment Opportunity Retaliation
    • The Occupational Safety and Health Whistleblowers Laws
    • D.C. Government Whistleblowing Rights
    • Virginia State Employee Whistleblowing Rights
  • Wrongful Discharge
  • Human Resources & Advice for Employers
    • Employee Handbooks
    • Hiring & Firing
    • Management Investigations
    • Workplace Training
Best Lawyers Award Badge
2020 Top Lawyers - Northern Virginia Magazine
Top Lawyer 2020 - Washingtonian

Want to schedule an appointment?

LET’S CONNECT

Footer

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Contact Us

1850 M Street, NW
Suite 901
Washington. DC 20036

(855) 463-0300
(202) 463-0300
(855) 463-0301 (fax)
(202) 463-0301 (fax)

Our Team

  • Kristin D. Alden
  • Michelle F. Bercovici
  • Wynter P. Allen
  • James Eisenmann
  • Ross E. Fishbein
  • Dominick Schumacher
  • Philip A. Mueller

Practice Areas

  • Employment Contracts
    • Executive Employment Agreements
    • Non-Compete Agreements
    • Non-Solicitation Agreements
    • Separation Agreements
  • Employees’ Workplace Obligations
    • Trade Secrets, Duty of Loyalty
  • Discrimination & Harassment
    • Sex
    • LGBTQ + Gender Identity
    • Family Responsibility
    • National Origin
    • Religion
    • Disability and Requests for Accommodations
    • HIV Status
    • Age Discrimination
    • Hostile work environment & Harassment
    • Pay Discrimination, Equal Pay Act
    • Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
    • Retaliation
  • Federal Employees
    • Congressional Accountability Act
    • Discrimination in Federal Sector
    • Discipline and Other Adverse Actions in Federal Sector
    • Foreign Service Officers
    • Government Ethics
    • Agency Internal Grievance Systems
    • Intelligence Community
    • Federal Sector Labor Unions
    • Law Enforcement in Federal Sector
    • Inspector General and OPR Investigations
    • Union Grievances in Federal Sector
    • VERA/VSIP
    • Whistleblowing in Federal Sector
  • Security Clearances
  • D.C. Employees
    • Office of Employee Appeals
    • D.C. Employees Discrimination Complaints
    • Union Grievance Processes
    • D.C. Government Whistleblowing Rights
  • Leaves of Absences
    • Family Medical Leave Act
    • Uniformed Service Members
    • District of Columbia Leave Laws
  • Privacy
    • Medical Inquires
    • FOIA
    • Privacy Act
    • Medical Records
  • Virginia Employees
    • Virginia State Grievance Process
    • Virginia County Grievance Process
    • Virginia State Employee Whistleblowing Rights
  • Wage & Hour
    • Federal Fair Labor Standards Act
    • Wage and Hour in D.C., Maryland and Virginia
  • Whistleblowing
    • Federal Employees
    • Sarbanes-Oxley & SEC Whistleblowing
    • Federal Government Contractors
    • Equal Employment Opportunity Retaliation
    • The Occupational Safety and Health Whistleblowers Laws
    • D.C. Government Whistleblowing Rights
    • Virginia State Employee Whistleblowing Rights
  • Wrongful Discharge
  • Human Resources & Advice for Employers
    • Employee Handbooks
    • Hiring & Firing
    • Management Investigations
    • Workplace Training

Ready to Go?

    Disclaimer: While we are happy to have you contact us by telephone, surface mail, electronic mail or fax, merely contacting the Alden Law Group, PLLC or any Alden Law Group, PLLC attorney does not create an attorney-client relationship until a written agreement has been reached between you and the firm to handle a particular matter. The formation of an attorney-client relationship requires us to do several things, including resolution of possible conflicts of interest and executing an appropriate fee arrangement and mutual agreement identifying the terms of the engagement. Although any information we receive will be considered confidential and private, do not send us any information you regard as confidential until a formal attorney-client relationship has been established. Any information you convey to the Alden Law Group, PLLC via the Internet may not be secure, and information conveyed prior to establishing an attorney-client relationship may not be privileged.

    © 2021 Alden Law Group, PLLC. All rights reserved. Site by Midwest New Media, LLC.  •  Terms of Use