Category Archives: Executive contracts

Fifth Circuit Reminder: Words Matter in Employment Contacts, Restrictive Covenants

Posted on June 25, 2018 by Joe Ahmad

Sometimes the most fundamental legal concepts are so basic and intuitive that they tend to fall by the wayside in practice. Case in point is a recent Fifth Circuit opinion throwing out an arbitration agreement because the employer didn’t follow … Continue reading →

Posted in Arbitration agreements, Executive contracts, Fiduciary Duty, Legal, Litigation | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Fifth Circuit Reminder: Words Matter in Employment Contacts, Restrictive Covenants

Study Finds Public Losing Patience When CEOs Act Out

Posted on October 13, 2017 by Joe Ahmad

Add Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, Amazon’s entertainment chief Roy Price and KB Home’s Jeffrey Mezger to the growing list of executives making headlines for the wrong reasons. One of the most powerful producers in Hollywood, Weinstein was forced out after … Continue reading →

Posted in CEOs, Complaints Against Executives, Corporate culture, Executive Compensation, Executive contracts, Executive Management Style, Legal, Litigation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Study Finds Public Losing Patience When CEOs Act Out

U-Turn Ahead: Uber hits brakes over new hire’s refusal to help in trade secret defense

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Joe Ahmad

In a move that surprised no one watching the drama between Uber and Google’s Waymo self-driving vehicle division, Uber fired engineering whiz Anthony Levandowski on Tuesday. The company thought it scored a real coup last year in hiring Levandowski to … Continue reading →

Posted in Complaints Against Executives, Corporate culture, Covenants Not to Compete, Defend Trade Secrets Act, Executive contracts, Trade Secrets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on U-Turn Ahead: Uber hits brakes over new hire’s refusal to help in trade secret defense

Game industry executive’s job-hopping mistake leads to `Game Over’ jury verdict for Facebook/Oculus

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Joe Ahmad

Hours after a Dallas jury returned its $500 million verdict for ZeniMax over claims that Facebook and Oculus unfairly used its virtual reality coding, the creator of that code, John Carmack, took to social media to continue his defense. Carmack, … Continue reading →

Posted in Complaints Against Executives, Confidential Information, Executive contracts, Litigation, Non-Competes, Trade Secrets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Game industry executive’s job-hopping mistake leads to `Game Over’ jury verdict for Facebook/Oculus

NFL lessons for the C-Suite on succession planning, Exhibit 1: Tony Romo

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Joe Ahmad

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has himself in an ideal succession situation. He waited to draft the perfect candidate – Dak Prescott. He and can now let potential future star quarterback Prescott learn while aging star Tony Romo still has the ball. Boards and C-Suite folks should think like Jones: Keep your stars in place, but keep an eye on the future of the company. Continue reading →

Posted in Corporate successsion, Executive contracts, Fiduciary Duty, Retention agreements, Severance Packages, Sports contracts | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on NFL lessons for the C-Suite on succession planning, Exhibit 1: Tony Romo

Your Employment Agreement is Nothing Like a Mortgage Document

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Joe Ahmad

Another report on employment contracts is discouraging but not surprising. A survey of 1,000 people in the U.K. showed that more than 90 percent didn’t read their employment contracts – despite the fact that the terms can haunt them for … Continue reading →

Posted in CEOs, Confidential Information, Corporate culture, Covenants Not to Compete, Executive Compensation, Executive contracts, Non-Competes | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Your Employment Agreement is Nothing Like a Mortgage Document

Dialer Beware: Trump Volunteers Must Sign Onerous Agreement to Work Online Phone Bank

Posted on September 6, 2016 by Joe Ahmad

Where do I begin? There are so many troubling aspects to the lengthy nondisclosure agreement that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is requiring online campaign volunteers to sign that I just had to speak up. The contents of this 2,271-world … Continue reading →

Posted in CEOs, Confidential Information, Covenants Not to Compete, Executive contracts, Litigation, Non-Competes, Trade Secrets | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Massage Envy No More

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Joe Ahmad

Houston Chronicle business columnist Chris Tomlinson recently interviewed me about how a woman’s search for a better job landed her in serious legal trouble. The unfortunate story involves Maxie Foster, who worked for years as a receptionist to pay her … Continue reading →

Posted in Confidential Information, Corporate culture, Covenants Not to Compete, Executive Compensation, Executive contracts, Litigation, Non-Competes, Trade Secrets | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Massage Envy No More

Considering a New Job? Please Talk to Your Lawyer

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Bria Burk

Zillow recently reached a whopping $130 million settlement with Realtor.com operator Move Inc. shortly before the two online real estate giants went to trial over alleged misappropriation of trade secrets. While the settlement amount is a far cry from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Continuity, CEOs, Complaints Against Executives, Confidential Information, Corporate culture, Covenants Not to Compete, Executive Compensation, Executive contracts, Executive Management Style, Fiduciary Duty, Legal, Litigation, Non-Competes, Trade Secrets, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Considering a New Job? Please Talk to Your Lawyer

White House Report Says Non-Competes May Hurt Competition

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Joe Ahmad

The White House is weighing in on the growing use of non-compete agreements and how they can negatively affect competition, individual workers and the overall economy. Once a tool reserved for top executives, the 16-page report released earlier this week … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Continuity, CEOs, Confidential Information, Covenants Not to Compete, Executive contracts, Non-Competes, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on White House Report Says Non-Competes May Hurt Competition