Restrictive covenant

Allan Janes LLP v Johal [2006] EWHC 286 (Ch); NLJ 3 March

The claimant was a firm of solicitors by whom the defendant had been employed as an assistant solicitor. Her contract of employment included post-employment restrictions on her practising as a solicitor within a radius of six miles from the office for a period of one year and from acting, directly or indirectly, as a solicitor for any person who had been a client of the firm in the previous 12 months. After she had resigned from her employment, she set up an office 1½ miles from that of the claimant and sent email messages soliciting work to a number of established clients of the firm.