April 2022

In the last two years, Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. have passed laws restricting employers’ use of non-compete agreements in employment contracts. Over the past several years, courts have also trended away from enforcing non-compete restrictions unless they are reasonably written to protect a company’s business interests.

Effective October 1, 2019, Maryland’s Non-Compete and Conflict of Interest Clause Act prohibits non-compete clauses for “low-wage” employees, employees who earn an amount equal to or less than $31,200 annually or $15.00 per hour. The law does not apply to agreements regarding the taking or use of a client list or other proprietary client-related information; therefore, non-disclosure agreements protecting employer proprietary client information are still enforceable against these low-wage workers.

In the 2020 legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly passed a series of changes – including changes to the Maryland child support statute – that were to take effect on October 1, 2021. However, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effective date was delayed, and those changes will now become law starting July 1, 2022. Two significant changes to the Maryland child support statute involve the schedule of basic child support obligations and what it means to be voluntarily impoverished.

Recently the House of Representatives passed the Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0) with a 414-5 vote. SECURE 2.0 expands on the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE Act), which was passed in December of 2019. SECURE 2.0 is currently before the Senate. If a majority of the Senate passes SECURE 2.0 and President Biden signs the bill, then SECURE 2.0 will go into effect in 2023.

*photo courtesy of govpics.maryland.gov

April was a busy month for all of us at the firm! We were glad to get out for some in-person events while supporting the community. 

In early April, we supported the ARC of Howard County by sponsoring and attending the 24th Annual Chocolate Ball. Many of us were able to join our clients and friends at some of the Howard County Chamber of Commerce events, and we were thrilled to attend the Leadership in Law Awards dinner to support both Paul Skalny and Kristina Paulsen. This past weekend, some of us broke in our running gear and joined the Downtown Columbia Partnership for its 5K/10K race in the Merriweather District in Columbia.  

Looking forward to seeing many of you out and about next month!

We are proud to announce that Cheryl U. Brown has been named to The Daily Record’s 2022 listing of Top 100 Women in Maryland.

"This year's Maryland's Top 100 Women work hard, play hard and create better lives for their teams, their networks and their families. They are inclusive change agents who are not afraid to face adversity and stand up for what they believe," said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, senior group publisher of The Daily Record. "Their community impact and commitment to mentoring are outstanding. We at The Daily Record are proud to honor them."

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