Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
(OP)
If you are working as an employee for a company and have direct dealings with clients, is it illegal to tell your clients that you are starting your own company and you would like them to leave your current employer and give you their business directly?





RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
however it is my customers that have been asking me to go independant.
RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
http://www.EsoxRepublic.com-SolidWorks API VB programming help
RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
After you've started your business, go meet with them and try to get work based on your merits (not your ex-company's faults).
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Syl.
RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
For the situation of this post, I would second SylvestereW's suggestion above - much classier.
I don't think anything about taking clients with you is illegal, but may border on unethical.
RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
Never, but never question engineer's judgement
RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
http://www.mtengineers.org/pd/NSPECodeofEthics.pdf
"4. Engineers shall act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees."
I think it is more important to first consider your ethics and not just because they are often adopted into state law in some form or other...
Not too many years ago we started our business.
I would say, DO NOT solicit your employers clients while you are still collecting a pay check. If you haven't signed a non-compete agreement then in most cases you would be free to contact these clients after your end date. Use the Yellow-pages and don't keep any documents that your employer hasn't authorized or have knowledge of... You will likely find that you are going to do it your way anyway, it is about you now and who you are going to be as an engineer/entity.
Always have an honest and positive based response to any questions that may arise regarding your departure. I finally started to say something like, "Well you know how it is, we were like Teenagers, we thought we had all of the answers and had to give it a try. [chuckle]" "[ex-employer], was always a really good boss (mine was), blah blah blah" be honest and don't embellish, forget about anything you didn't like and never talk about it if they bring it up...
Be prepared for unpredictable receptions... Some of these clients that you felt really close to were close to you as a part of your bosses company. Others don't feel such a loyalty to your employer and you may overlook them because you don't have a glowing recollection of them. We found that relationships were really important, those based on trust even more so and usually already taken... Some that were initially turned off or even cold, later remembered who we were and gave us a try, but we share their work load with our past employer. Don't forget to look up the clients currently with your bosses competition, there is always someone on the bottom of the list, it takes time to build your own client base.
I worry that the image of the Engineer doesn't have quite the bang it may have had 50 years ago, I try hard not to contribute to any further erosion. In the end only you know many of the truths and it sure makes it easier to sleep at night when you didn't do anything unethical. Good luck and let us know how it works out...
RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
However, I also feel that is is highly, highly unethical ... and for that reason alone I would never, never consider it. Also, I would not take to kindly to the damage to my reputation among my peers that would follow, nor burning my bridges.
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
I don't think it's illegal (but I'm no expert), but it sure seems unethical.
RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
I'm not sure I'd contact these clients before I left the firm. But only after I'd set up shop and then simply advertise my business, services, quality, etc. as any other normal business would.
Clients aren't "owned" by the firm. Even the clients existence (name, business, contacts, etc.) are not privaledged information in my view.
But while you are still officially an employee of your first firm, I feel it is important not to market them for a "new" firm until you have officially left your first firm.
RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
Even if it is legal (which I very much doubt) it is highly unethical. I own a small company and whenever possible I always try and deal with companies that are open, honest and ethical. My logic is firstly that is the way I like to be and secondly someone who will act in this way to another company will do the same to me one day. I would have to be in a very tight corner to ever deal with a company or individual who acts this way. Whilst not all companies work along these lines, the ones I like to work for do, you may lose them before you even start.
RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
Talk to a lawyer. Free advice is good, but advice you have to pay for is usually better (in a court of law).
RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Is it illegal to steal clients from your current employer?
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Syl.