non-solicitation clause
A contract term that stops one party from recruiting the other's employees or customers for a set period.
Definition
A non-solicitation clause limits poaching. In agency contracts it commonly prevents a client from hiring the agency's staff who worked on the account, or an agency from approaching the client's customers, for a defined period after the relationship ends. It is different from a non-compete, which restricts working in a field. Enforceability varies a lot by country and region, and overly broad clauses may fail. If you plan to bring work in-house and hire the agency team, discuss it openly and check the contract first.
In a sentence
The contract included a twelve-month non-solicitation clause covering the agency's designers.
They negotiated the clause so a mutually agreed hire was allowed.
