\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But the client called me first.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Hmmm, this retort sounds remarkably similar to a young child\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s defensive response when caught committing a transgression against a sibling (\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But he poked me first!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d). The fact of the matter is, when it comes to non-solicitation clauses and the law, it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter who did the initial \u00e2\u20ac\u0153poking\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t engage in client solicitation even if the client makes the initial contact. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But why?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/strong><\/p>\n Because federal courts take non-solicitation agreements very seriously, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why. And because federal law protects the employer regardless of who reached out first- you or your former client. Reach Out- but Watch Out<\/strong><\/p>\n The identity of the party initiating the contact is just one factor to be considered when determining whether a former veterinary employee has engaged in client solicitation. It is still acceptable for a hiring veterinary practice owner to run public announcements about her\/his practice and newly hired employees, but s\/he must be careful not to cross the fine line between advertising and actively soliciting. The Courts are savvy in recognizing manipulative advertising, especially when aimed pointedly at a veterinarian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s former clients. <\/p>\n Cautionary Solicitation Factors (i.e, Things to Watch Out For)<\/u>:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tWho made the initial contact- the veterinary employee or the client? Persuasive Value<\/strong><\/p>\n The First Circuit\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ruling has persuasive value and will likely be far reaching in other jurisdictions. If you are a hospital owner, the moral of the story is to double check your non-solicitation agreement in your veterinary employer\/employee contract to ensure your practice\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s best interests are well protected. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re the transferring employee, consider your former contract\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s restrictions before launching yourself into a new clientele base. And if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a veterinary hospital owner who proudly hired Clinic A\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s veterinarian, be careful how you publicize this information and your goals in doing so lest you anger the previous employer- and the courts. <\/p>\n For information on enforcing non-solicitation agreements, check out our posting on VetNetwork\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Google+ page.<\/p>\n For additional legal advice that benfits you and your veterinary hospital, refer to our ongoing legal blog articles.<\/p>\n *A non-solicitation agreement prohibits a departing employee from soliciting, directly or indirectly, the veterinary clinic\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clients, regardless of where they are located, to do business with the employee. <\/p>\n Copyright \u00c2\u00a9 VetNetwork, LLC Enjoying a long, successful career in veterinary medicine is important to you. Whether you are a veterinary hospital owner or a veterinary associate, an important initial step in securing such an outcome is to include a well-written non-solicitation agreement in your veterinary contract.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[36,319],"tags":[490,489,482,483,106,105,487,480,491,486,485,488,223],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vetnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2512"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vetnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vetnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vetnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vetnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2512"}],"version-history":[{"count":45,"href":"https:\/\/vetnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2559,"href":"https:\/\/vetnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2512\/revisions\/2559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vetnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vetnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vetnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nIn 2013, the U.S. First Circuit Court in Corporate Technologies Inc. v. Brian Harnett and OnX USA LLC used a legal scalpel to dissect and delicately define \u00e2\u20ac\u0153solicitation\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. In its holding, the Court acknowledged that while the line between solicitation and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153acceptance of business\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is not always clear, the identity of the party making initial contact is important and should be considered when determining active solicitation. <\/p>\n![\"definition](\"http:\/\/vetnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Legal-Solicitation-300x199.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tDoes the advertising intrigue clients in such a way that it incites them to make initial contact?
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tDoes the announcement target mainly the veterinary employee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s former client contacts or does it broadcast widely?<\/p>\n
\nVetNetwork \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Marketing Solutions for Veterinarians and Veterinary Hospitals
\nwww.vetnetwork.com
\n603-743-4321<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"