Legal Question in Business Law in New Jersey

Keeping my clients

I was hired as an independant contractor for a diect mail advertising company in January of 2002. Recently, I have been released from the business. Do I have a legal right to keep my clients, that I signed? Do they belong to the direct mail company? I have since started my own marketing company, and I would like to know if I can maintain my cliantele as a base for new operations.


Asked on 1/23/04, 1:01 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Walter LeVine Walter D. LeVine, Esq.

Re: Keeping my clients

ANSWER DEPENDS UPON WHAT, IF ANYTHING, WAS STATED IN YOUR CONTRACT, IN WRITING. IF THE CONTRACT, IF THERE WAS ONE, STATED YOU COULD NOT COMPETE OR CONTACT CUSTOMERS, YOU MAY HAVE A PROBLEM. IF THERE WAS NO CONTRACT, OR THE CONTRACT WAS GLIB AND ONLY SPECIFIED THAT YOU WERE AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR AND WHAT AND HOW YOU WERE TO BE PAID (AND NOTHING ELSE), YOU COULD KEEP THE CLEINTELE. IN GENERAL, AS AN INDEPENDENT, THE CLIENTELE WOULD SEEM TO BE YOURS, AND YOU COULD CONTINUE TO SERVICE THEM WHEN THE CONTRACT ENDED. I NEED MORE INFORMATION TO GIVE YOU A MORE PRECISE ANSWER.

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Answered on 1/24/04, 2:42 pm


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