Employment & HR
Generate a restraint of trade / non-compete clause reasonable in scope, duration and geography for UK employers, consistent with current common law and the government's ongoing reform proposals.
Generate a restraint of trade (non-compete) clause for [Employee Name], a [Job Title] at [Company Name], reasonable in duration, geographic area, and restricted activities, protecting [legitimate interest, e.g. client relationships or trade secrets] under UK common law.
Generate a non-compete clause between [Buyer Name] and [Seller Name] protecting the goodwill purchased in the sale of [Business Name], consistent with UK restraint of trade principles for business sales.
Generate a standalone non-solicitation clause preventing [Employee Name] from soliciting clients or staff of [Company Name] for [Duration] after leaving, as an alternative or addition to a non-compete.
A non-compete agreement (restraint of trade clause) restricts an employee, contractor, or business seller from competing with a business for a defined period, area, and set of activities after the relationship ends. This free UK non-compete generator produces restraint of trade clauses for senior employees and business sale agreements, drafted to satisfy the common law restraint of trade test that English and Welsh courts apply to any such clause. There is currently no statutory cap on non-compete duration in the UK, though the government has consulted on introducing one — including a proposed 3-month statutory limit — so businesses should keep clauses as short and targeted as reasonably possible. It is designed for UK employers protecting client relationships or trade secrets, and for buyers and sellers structuring a business sale, which sits outside the proposed reforms. Use it to draft a restraint that is proportionate in duration, geography, and scope, and easier to defend if challenged.
A non-compete agreement (or restraint of trade clause) is a contract term that stops a person from working for a competitor or starting a competing business for a set period, area, and scope of activity after leaving a role or selling a business.
Yes, but only if the employer can show the clause protects a legitimate business interest and goes no further than reasonably necessary — otherwise it is void as an unlawful restraint of trade.
The government has consulted on capping non-competes at three months, most recently through a working paper that closed for responses in February 2026, but as of 2026 no cap has been legislated.
There is no fixed limit under current law; courts have upheld clauses of up to around 12 months for senior roles, though shorter, more targeted durations are far easier to defend.
Yes, restraints protecting the goodwill purchased in a business sale are treated more leniently by UK courts than employment restraints and sit outside the government's proposed reforms.
A non-compete stops someone from working for or starting a competing business, while a non-solicitation clause only stops them from approaching former clients or staff.
A UK court will typically declare the clause void and unenforceable in its entirety rather than rewrite it to a narrower scope.