Courts may uphold longer non-compete agreements for highly-trained employees with very specific knowledge that would be damaging in the hands of a competitor. "Federal and state antitrust law still applies, so it's still illegal to have a noncompete agreement for the purpose of preventing competition.The final rule bans most noncompete clauses between employers and their workers. The effective date of the final rule is September 4, 2024. The majority of U.S. states recognize and enforce various forms of non-compete agreements. My husband was being transfered out of state for his job. My experience was that I worked for the new company for a month and the old company found out. Compete agreement lawyer can assist Chicago clients with determining how this balance may affect them. Workers who have a low desire to switch jobs in the future. But non-compete agreements can also impose large costs on workers.