Gonzalo Law

A Federal Judge Has Permanently Blocked the FTC Ban on Non-Compete Agreements

What is It?

A non-compete agreement is a legal contract between an employer and an employee (or a business and a contractor) where the employee agrees not to enter into or start a similar profession or trade in competition against the employer during or after their employment. The purpose of a noncompete agreement is to protect the employer's business interests, including trade secrets, customer relationships, and proprietary information.

Why is it Important?

Over 30 million Americans are covered by non-competes which is about one in five workers that are affected. The FTC ban does not apply to non-competes that are included in the transactions that are part of the sale of the business. The goal of the FTC ban was to prevent exclusionary practices by any business. The FTC estimated that this ban was set to increase workers’ earnings by at least $400 billion over the next decade. The push to adopt the rule is part of the Biden administration’s effort to crack down on practices that regulators argue are anti-competitive and that can unfairly restrict workers.

When?

In January of 2023, the FTC announced that it would ban non-competes in employer contracts. It said that Section 5 of the FTC mandate gave it the power to do so. The FTC ban on non-competes was set to go into effect on September 4th of 2024.

What Recently Happened?

On August 20, 2024, a federal judge blocked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ban on non-compete agreements preventing it from taking effect. Judge Ada Brown of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruled that the antitrust agency lacked authority to issue substantive rules related to unfair methods of competition, including the noncompete rule, which would have prohibited companies from restricting their employees’ ability to work for rivals. Judge Brown had temporarily blocked the ban in July. Her decision on Tuesday, August 20th, renders that injunction permanent, and nationwide in scope.

What is Next?

Non-competes continue to be enforceable in the U.S. unless the contract is drafted under the laws of a state that prohibits non-compete agreements such as California, where non-compete agreements are completely banned. Because there has been such disagreement in the courts, this fight is likely to now turn to the higher courts to be settled by a court of appeals. However, until then, the federal word is that non-compete agreements are still enforceable in the U.S. in states that allow them and at the federal level. Further, any bans on non-competes will not affect those non-competes that are part of a sale of a business.

For questions on your employment agreement or sale purchase agreement, contact our legal counsel today. We would love to work with you.

Join us on Friday, August 23rd, 2024 for the 2024 Fall Law Preview Day! Featured lawyers include:

✨ Nouvelle Gonzalo, Esq. (Managing Attorney, US & International Corporate Law)
✨ Yvens Pierre-Antoine, Esq. (Criminal Law & Personal Injury, Candidate for State Attorney General)
✨ Sarah Bair, Esq. (Immigration Law)
✨ Natalya Bull, Esq. (Healthcare Law)
✨ Maria Curatolo, Esq. (Estate Planning & Immigration Law)

This is your chance to connect with esteemed lawyers and learn how they can help guide you on your path to a successful legal career.

🗓 Date & Time: Friday, August 23, 2024, 2 PM - 4:30 PM
📍 Location: UF Innovate, 747 SW 2nd Ave, Seminar Room 140, Gainesville, FL
🎟 RSVP: [email protected] or click here: https://bit.ly/3WNzYSZ

Meet our managing attorney, Nouvelle Gonzalo, Esq., who specializes in US & International Corporate Law. Don’t miss the chance to connect with her and learn how our team can support you as you launch your legal career.

Are you an incoming or current law student interested in corporate law? Join us for this exclusive opportunity to learn and network!

🗓 Date: Friday, August 23, 2024
📍 Location: UF Innovate, 747 SW 2nd Ave, Seminar Room 140, Gainesville, Florida 32601
🎟 RSVP: Email us at [email protected] or click here: https://bit.ly/3WNzYSZ

Meet one of our featured attorneys, Maria Curatolo, Esq. who focuses on Estate Planning & Immigration Law. Don’t miss the chance to connect with her and discover how our team can support your legal career.

Are you an incoming or current law student interested in estate planning or immigration law? Join us for this exclusive opportunity to learn and network!

🗓 Date: Friday, August 23, 2024
📍 Location: UF Innovate, 747 SW 2nd Ave, Seminar Room 140, Gainesville, Florida 32601
🎟 RSVP: Email us at [email protected] or click here: https://bit.ly/3WNzYSZ

Mark your calendars for 2024 Fall Law Preview Day!

Meet one of our featured attorneys, Svens Pierre-Antoine, Esq. With extensive experience in Criminal Law and Personal Injury, who is also a candidate for State Attorney General. Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with him and learn how our team can support you as you kick-start your legal career.

Are you an incoming or current law student interested in criminal law or personal injury? Join us for this exclusive opportunity to learn and connect!

🗓 Date: Friday, August 23, 2024
📍 Location: UF Innovate, 747 SW 2nd Ave, Seminar Room 140, Gainesville, Florida 32601
🎟 RSVP: Email us at [email protected] or click here: https://bit.ly/3WNzYSZ

We’re excited to highlight Sarah Bai, Esq., who will be part of this special event. Sarah Bai is an immigration attorney dedicated to guiding individuals and multinational companies through the complex U.S. immigration system.

Are you an incoming or current law student interested in immigration law? Join us for this exclusive opportunity to learn and connect!

🗓 Date: 2024 Fall Preview Day
📍 Location: UF Innovate, 747 SW 2nd Ave, Seminar Room 140, Gainesville, Florida 32601
🎟 RSVP: Email us at [email protected] or click here:https://bit.ly/3WNzYSZ!

At Gonzalo Law, our mission is to move business forward. We go the extra mile to protect your company, find solutions, and deliver results that benefit your business. We are on your team, every step of the way!
We Believe: We’re passionate about safeguarding your business while helping you fulfill a greater purpose and have a positive impact.

We Collaborate: Success doesn’t happen in isolation. We partner with industry professionals, accountants, government specialists, and experts worldwide to ensure you get the best results. Together, we keep your business protected and thriving.

We Make Time: You’re not just another client at Gonzalo Law. We take the time to truly know you, your motivations, and your goals. It’s how we build lasting relationships and guide you to success.

Ready to protect your business and move forward with confidence? Contact us today and let’s start building your legacy.

Catch a glimpse of the stunning Cleveland Law Library. This is where our team conducts its legal research and preparation of client documents when not in our Cleveland office. We have worked with our law librarians for 14 years. This summer, Aashna, our Student Associate, spent the summer at Gonzalo Law Cleveland and worked diligently on her legal research and writing.

Established in 1829, the Cleveland Law Library is one of the oldest law libraries in the United States. It has served as a cornerstone of legal education and research in the region and is housed in the Cuyahoga County Courthouse which was finished in 1912. It is also home to several Cleveland courts such as the Domestic Relations Court, the Probate Court, and the 8th District Court of Appeals.

Featured above is our Cleveland Law librarian, Leslie, who has worked with the law library for over 40 years. Our law librarians are intelligent and resourceful. They help take our legal research to the next level to serve our clients and to move business forward. We love our Cleveland Team!

We're grateful for the trust our clients place in Gonzalo Law over the years. 🙏 Your success is our mission, and it's all possible because of our commitment to our core values, specifically: BE FOCUSED ON CLIENT NEEDS.

At Gonzalo Law we are focused on excellence in every task, constantly sharpening our skills, and embracing an ownership mentality to create a Wow! experience for our clients. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your journey!

If you have a legal matter, contact our office today or click the link in our bio for more information.

Happy Fourth of July from our team and families at Gonzalo Law to yours! 🇺🇸 We will be closed from Wednesday, July 3rd to Sunday, July 7th. Enjoy the celebrations and stay safe! We’ll be back on Monday to assist with all your legal needs.

Play Ball! Gonzalo Law Miami loved the chance to sponsor an outing to the Miami Marlins Baseball game in conjunction with the Florida Bar International Law Section and Miami Finance Forum .

Thank you to all sponsors for an amazing night! We loved to experience the sports and culture of Miami as a team! No matter what industry you are in, take time to connect with your team. It leads to increased productivity and connectivity.

Image 1, from left to right: Ciara Eckardt, Gonzalo Law Alumni and recent graduate of Florida International University School of Law; Dayne Shenk, Bookkeeper in Gonzalo Law’s Gainesville, Florida office; Nouvelle Gonzalo, Managing Attorney of Gonzalo Law; Aashna Arora, Summer Associate in Gonzalo Law’s Cleveland, Ohio office and current law student at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

We are thrilled to announce the newest addition to the Gonzalo Law team, Mrs. Dayne Shenk!

Dayne provides support to the firm as it concerns bookkeeping and client care. She not only has seven years of complex bookkeeping experience, but she also is a fitness professional. She helps keep the firm financially and physically fit.

Dayne is dedicated, organized, energetic, driven, and works with an attention to detail. At Gonzalo Law, we are committed to excellence and we love working with great people like Dayne. 🌟

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Dayne. 🎉🎉

Tax-exempt organization compliance with federal and state law is key. If organizations fail to comply with tax-exempt and non-profit law guidelines, they can lose their tax-exempt status with the IRS and face state fines and penalties for misconduct. Our managing attorney, Nouvelle L. Gonzalo, had the opportunity to provide a legal analysis on the lawsuit facing a notable non-profit, the Mormon church. The Mormon church has more than $100 billion dollars, according to many estimates, under asset management as a tax-exempt organization. Atty. Gonzalo spoke with the national news agency, Zengers, to explain the recent challenges facing the Mormon Church over allegations of how monies were handled when it comes to charitable donations.

Attorney Nouvelle Gonzalo sheds light on the importance of non-profits using donated funds for the specific purpose for which they were donated and the dangers and difficulties if funds are not used as intended. Atty. Gonzalo notes, "This case is a cautionary tale for many non-profits - large or small. It is important to ensure they act in good faith and work to protect the non-profit mission of the organization."

If you have any questions about your non-profit, let us know. We would be glad to work with you and assist!

At Gonzalo Law, our team embodies a diverse and vibrant set of skills and passions. As a woman owned business, we are especially excited to celebrate not only Womens’ History Month, but also International Women’s Day last week.
We are reliable, knowledgeable, and love the work that we do.

Some of the women who help make our firm great include our sharp collaborating counsel and staff as well: Carrie, Colleen, Rachel, Judi, Alexa, and our Founder and Managing Attorney, Nouvelle. Contact us for more questions! 🌟

No matter what you're up to this weekend - with friends or family- may it be fun and fulfilling.

Whether we are in Cleveland, Ohio, Gainesville, Florida, or Miami, we enjoy the opportunity to have some downtime too. We hope you will as well.🥰🦋🌷🎊

Gonzalo Law loved the chance to celebrate Black History Month as part of a professional panel at the Universityof Florida Reitz Union .

Students heard from panelists in Construction, Law, Real Estate, Business, and Healthcare. Thank you to the team at J. Wayne Reitz Union for the invitation!

Pictured (From Left to Right): Dwayne Isaacs Director for the Operations, Management, and Programming of the UF J. Reitz Union
Nouvelle Gonzalo Gonzalo Law, Virginia Grant Gainesville Black Professionals, Candice Adams-Mitchell, Craig Wilburn, and Michael Beard.

Looking forward to the flagship conference of The Florida Bar International Law Section with my colleagues. We will discuss the new changes in doing business in the U.S. and abroad. We will cover the new Beneficial Ownership Interest filing requirements to Nearshoring. Join us!

No one gets here alone.

Words cannot express the profundity of gratitude, joy, and love we have for the work that we do, but we will try.

On behalf of Gonzalo Law, I want to personally say this has been one amazing journey. Confucius once said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” We couldn’t agree more. These 15 years have been a life changing journey. Sometimes with mountain peak experiences and sometimes with bumpy roads, but it has been a Blessing. Most of the times it hasn’t felt like work, and we’re not done yet!

We’ve been so Blessed to work with some of the sharpest minds in our field and collaborate with outstanding clients, fantastic professionals whether they are staff, attorneys, or consultants. We’ve loved the chance to work on complex corporate matters, M&A deals, healthcare corporate, non-profit, international, and intellectual property matters.

From our first office that opened during the great recession of 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio to our fourth office set to open in Manhattan this Spring, we couldn’t be more excited. The goals that were once mere projections before are now becoming a reality, 15 years later.

To have the chance to do what we love for a national and global audience where we have analyzed the law on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and Bloomberg Business has been the icing on the cake. We thank all those who have been on this journey with us and those who are just joining the fun! We didn’t get here alone, so know I humbly and graciously thank you!

One thing I’d say, is no matter what your dream or goal is, if that’s what you’ve been called to, stick with it. All of us can be called into different seasons or to take a new direction, yet stick with your core goals. Keep finding new ways to get better at what you do. Innovate in your field. Keep challenging yourself and surround yourself with people who sharpen you, and you will blink and be 15 years down the road accomplishing the dreams that once only lived on paper.

Here’s to a decade and a half of passion for US and International and Corporate law with many more years to come!🌐 -Nouvelle G.

Starting January 1, 2024, many business owners are required by the U.S. Treasury to submit what is referred to as the Beneficial Ownership Information form. The purpose is for you to provide the details about who owns your company, whether you are an LLC, Corporation, or other entity. Only certain companies are exempt. Some companies such as public companies and non-profits are exempt from this filing requirement. However, many are not. Our firm completes these filings for our clients.
The Beneficial Ownership Information form is a document used to disclose details about the individuals who own a company and provide ID verification of the same. This new filing requirement for companies aims to enhance transparency by revealing beneficial ownership information, reducing financial crimes and ensuring accountability. If you have a change to this information throughout the year, then you must update your information with the government within 30 days.

If you have any questions, let us know. We would love to work with you and file your BOI forms! Stay Informed and stay ahead. 📚📜

Welcome! We are excited to welcome our new Executive Administrative Assistant, Judi Calle Tanner, to Gonzalo Law in our Gainesville Office!

Judi earned two bachelors' degrees from the University of Florida and has an extensive background in education. With her enthusiasm for organization and structure we are thrilled to have her on board and excited for her valuable contributions to the firm.

When Judi is not busy contributing to our office operations, she loves spending quality time with her family, exploring antique shops, and camping.

Fun fact: Judi collects vintage Pyrex. 💫

On behalf of our entire Gonzalo Law team, I wish you a wonderful Christmas Eve, Merry Christmas, and New Years Eve!

Founder & Managing Attorney
Nouvelle

☆☆☆☆☆☆
¡De parte de todo nuestro equipo de Gonzalo Law, les deseamos una maravillosa Nochebuena, Feliz Navidad, y Año Nuevo!

Fundadora y Abogada Gerente
Nouvelle

Loved the chance to lengthen and strengthen at our law firm holiday outing and dinner with our support staff. This time we did pilates . This was an activity that was brand new for most of us and familiar fun to another one. If you hang out with our team long enough, we'll eventually do a workout with you. 😄🏋🏾‍♂️

We loved spreading holiday cheer and good vibes with a twist of wellness in a festive Pilates session! It was great to reflect on the year, spend some quality time, and enjoy a nice dinner afterwards at . 🎄💪 How do you celebrate your team?!

📚 Unlocking the First Sale Doctrine: Your guide to copyright freedom! 🗝️✨

Hey Facebook-fam! 🌟 Ever wondered about the magic behind reselling your favorite books, CDs, or DVDs? 📖💿 It’s all thanks to the First Sale Doctrine – a copyright rule that empowers you, the proud owner of a legit copy! 🤝🎉

🔍 **What’s the First Sale Doctrine?**
Simply put, after the first authorized sale of a copyrighted work, you’ve got the green light to resell, lend, or gift that specific copy without asking for permission! 🚀💽

🌐 **How does it work?**
1️⃣ Grab a legit copy from an authorized seller.
2️⃣ It’s yours to enjoy and share – sell it, lend it, or gift it!
3️⃣ Applies to physical copies, not digital downloads.

🚫 **What it doesn’t cover:**
❌ Making copies or modifications.
❌ Reselling illegally obtained copies.

📈 **Why does it matter?**
The First Sale Doctrine balances the copyright owner’s rights with your freedom to share or sell the tangible media you own. 🤝📀

So next time you pass on a beloved book or album, know that you’re not just sharing the love – you’re exercising your rights! ✨

Protect your work and learn copyright with Gonzalo Law. With over 13 years of focused law practice in Intellectual property law with copyright and trademark, we can help you navigate this area of the legal field. 📜💡Contact us today!

📚🎶

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual-1854-copyright-infringement-first-sale-doctrine #:~:text=The%20first%20sale%20doctrine%2C%20codified,interests%20of%20the%20copyright%20owner.

https://www.bonalaw.com/insights/legal-resources/first-sale-doctrine-in-trademark-and-copyright-law

From our team to yours, Happy Thanksgiving! Our team is grateful to do what we love every single day. We enjoy new collaborations and appreciate the trust of our clients. We hope this week is a restful time of renewal for you and your loved ones. In observance of the holiday, Gonzalo Law will be closed Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 2023, and open for business on Monday, November 27, 2023. 🍂🦃

What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving season?

Did you know trade secrets are protected without registration?

First, it’s important to clarify what trade secrets are. They are confidential secret information that are key to how a business operates or runs yet it is not available for the general public to know. One of the most famous trade secrets is the recipe used for Coca Cola.

Trade secrets are protected without any formal government registrations. They are not registered with the government in the same way that a patent, trademark, or copyright would be. Rather, they are protected with strict internal policies and procedures from the company. These policies are utilized to keep the information secret and only a select group of individuals within a company are permitted to know this information.

Source: https://www.wipo.int/sme/en/faq/tradesecrets_faqs.html

Attorney Nouvelle Gonzalo, managing attorney of Gonzalo Law, shares the importance of protecting the intellectual property of nonprofit organizations. Trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets must be protected in order for nonprofits to operate efficiently and continue bettering the communities around them. Gonzalo Law is grateful to work with a variety of amazing nonprofits in the U.S and abroad. If you have any questions, contact us today! We would love to hear from you.

We need you! Your business, no matter the industry, helps make this world better. Have you asked yourself if you’re ready to take your business to the next level? 📈💯

Gonzalo Law represents companies at all stages. We help them get started, expand, merge, sell, or dissolve. We do so when we draft and negotiate the contracts most important for a particular company.

Are you aware of some of the contracts that drive company operations? Some include sale purchase agreements, vendor and service contracts, intellectual property agreements, owner agreements, settlement agreements, and employment agreements.

Contact us today to learn how to protect your business with the right legal documents! 🤝

Attorney Nouvelle Gonzalo, managing attorney of Gonzalo Law, enjoyed the chance to strategize with leaders in international law at a planning meeting for the Florida Bar International Law Section . At Gonzalo Law, we love sharing our passion for the legal field. Stay informed and stay ahead.

Do you align your company with industry leaders to stay sharp in your field? Awesome opportunities abound!

🌐⚖️

Understanding Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) can be the game-changer for expanding your business in the dynamic U.S. market. Learn more from Gonzalo Law: https://gonzalolaw.com/unlocking-the-u-s-market-the-power-of-foreign-direct-investment/

Unlocking the U.S. Market: The Power of Foreign Direct Investment - Gonzalo Law Foreign companies regularly invest in the U.S. It is a complex transaction, yet well worth it. The U.S. has the largest consumer market in the world with over 333 million residents and a robust economy. It has a gross domestic product (GDP) of $25 trillion and as such is an excellent option for fore...

Looking to buy or sell a business? We’re here to help you unlock the secrets of successful business transactions! Discover valuable insights and essential tips for buying or selling a business by visiting our latest blog post at the link! https://gonzalolaw.com/purchase-or-sale-of-a-business-in-a-corporate-transaction/