Legal Question in Business Law in Michigan

Re: Former Employee Looking for Fresh Start

Based on what you've given, without any non-compete/non-disclosure agreement in place, your current employer would have a tough time keeping you from directly competing with your own business if you struck it out on your own. Of course, this assumes that you do not "take" any property, such as copyright or patented materials (by the employer), when you leave. You should also be careful in dealing with customers/clients who are already under contract with your employer. If you cause a contract to be breached just so the customer/client can sign on with you, then you could be inviting a tortious interference claim by your employer against you, as well as a breach of contract claim against the customer/client - something neither would like. It is also unfortunate that playing it straight won't necessarily prevent the employer from filing a lawsuit against you, if it is so inclined; but unless you interfere with existing business relationships as described above, you should be fine.