According to Public Justice, a coalition of worker and consumer advocates have been advocating for the Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct (COPRAC) in California to write a formal opinion that states it is unethical for attorneys to encourage their corporate clients to include fine print in their contracts that is 'unenforceable,' such as non-compete agreements.
The coalition explains that corporations, with guidance from their attorneys, are deceiving workers and consumers in the state by including language in contracts that the worker or consumer signing the contract does not realize would not be enforced in court.
A press release from the coalition states, "Research shows that workers are subjected to non-compete clauses at approximately the same frequency in states where those non-competes are unenforceable as in states where they remain legal. Because workers and consumers assume their contracts are legal, those terms harm workers and consumers by chilling them from exercising their rights."
The coalition includes Public Justice, the California Employment Lawyers Association, Economic Security Project Action, National Consumer Law Center, National Employment Law Project, Open Markets Institute, People’s Parity Project, Public Good Law Center, Student Borrower Protection Center, and Towards Justice.
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