Atornee
Get Started Free
Draft My Non-Solicitation Agreement

Lawyer reviewed templates

agency non-solicitation agreement uk

Non-Solicitation Agreement for UK Agencys

If you run a UK agency, an agency non-solicitation agreement uk is one of the most practical documents you can have in place. Whether you're protecting your client relationships from departing staff, or stopping a former contractor from poaching your team, a well-drafted non-solicitation clause does real work. The problem is that most agencies either skip it entirely, bolt a vague clause onto an employment contract, or copy a template that won't hold up under English law. Non-solicitation agreements in the UK sit within the law of restraint of trade. Courts will not enforce them if they're too broad, too long, or not tied to a legitimate business interest. That means the wording matters. Atornee lets you draft a non-solicitation agreement tailored to your agency's specific situation — your client base, your team structure, your risk — without paying solicitor rates for a first draft. You still get something legally coherent, and you'll know exactly when you need a solicitor to review it before signing.

Draft My Non-Solicitation Agreement
Instant Access
Lawyer Reviewed

Why this matters

Agency founders lose clients and staff to people who walked out the door with their relationships. A senior account manager leaves and takes three clients with them. A contractor you trained up goes directly to your biggest account. These aren't hypothetical — they happen constantly in agency life. The frustrating part is that a properly drafted non-solicitation agreement could have made that behaviour legally actionable. Most agencies don't have one, or have one that's so generic it wouldn't survive a challenge. Drafting one from scratch feels like a job for a solicitor, but paying £300–£500 for a first draft of a document you might never need to enforce feels hard to justify. That's the gap Atornee fills.

The Atornee approach

Atornee isn't a template library and it isn't a law firm. It's an AI legal assistant built specifically for UK businesses that generates a working draft of your non-solicitation agreement based on your actual situation — the type of agency you run, whether this is for employees or contractors, what you're protecting, and how long you want the restriction to last. You get a document you can read, understand, and take to a solicitor for a focused review rather than a blank-sheet drafting job. That cuts your legal spend and means you go into any solicitor conversation already knowing what you want. For straightforward agency non-solicitation agreements, many founders find the Atornee draft is enough to get signed without further legal input.

What you get

A non-solicitation agreement drafted around your agency's specific client and staff protection needs, not a generic template
Clause language that reflects UK restraint of trade principles, including reasonable duration and geographic scope
Separate handling for employee and contractor contexts, which have different legal considerations under English law
Plain-English explanations of each clause so you understand what you're signing and what you're asking others to sign
A document ready to share with a solicitor for a targeted review, saving you time and reducing their billable hours

Before you sign checklist

1
1. Identify who you're protecting against — departing employees, contractors, or both — as this affects the legal approach
2
2. List the specific client relationships and staff you want to protect, so the agreement can be scoped accurately
3
3. Decide on a realistic restriction period — UK courts typically accept 6–12 months for most agency roles; longer needs strong justification
4
4. Check whether you already have any non-solicitation language in existing employment contracts or contractor agreements to avoid conflicts
5
5. Use Atornee to generate a draft based on your specific agency context and protection goals
6
6. Review the draft yourself before sharing — make sure the scope reflects your actual business relationships, not a theoretical worst case
7
7. If the agreement covers senior staff, high-value client relationships, or significant financial exposure, have a solicitor review before signing

FAQ

Are non-solicitation agreements enforceable in the UK?

Yes, but only if they're reasonable. UK courts treat non-solicitation clauses as restraints of trade, which means they'll only enforce them if they protect a legitimate business interest and go no further than necessary. Too broad a scope, too long a duration, or no clear business interest to protect and a court will strike the clause out entirely. Getting the drafting right matters more than just having something signed.

What's the difference between a non-solicitation and a non-compete clause?

A non-compete stops someone from working in a competing business altogether. A non-solicitation is narrower — it stops them from approaching your specific clients or staff. Non-solicitation clauses are generally easier to enforce in the UK because they're less restrictive on someone's ability to earn a living. For most agencies, a well-drafted non-solicitation clause gives you the protection you actually need without the enforceability risk of a broad non-compete.

Can I use a non-solicitation agreement with contractors as well as employees?

Yes, but the legal context is different. With employees, non-solicitation clauses sit within employment law and the implied duty of good faith. With contractors, you're working in pure contract law. The clause still needs to be reasonable to be enforceable, but you have more flexibility in how you structure it. Atornee handles both contexts, but if a contractor relationship is complex or high-value, a solicitor review is worth it.

How long should a non-solicitation restriction last for an agency?

UK courts have generally accepted 6–12 months as reasonable for most agency roles. Longer periods are possible but need to be justified by the seniority of the role, the depth of the client relationship, or the sensitivity of the information involved. Going beyond 12 months without strong justification increases the risk a court would refuse to enforce it. Be realistic about what you actually need rather than defaulting to the longest period you can think of.

Do I need a solicitor to draft a non-solicitation agreement?

Not necessarily for a first draft. For straightforward situations — a standard employee leaving, protecting a defined client list — an AI-drafted agreement from Atornee gives you a legally coherent starting point. Where you should involve a solicitor is when the stakes are high: a senior hire with access to your entire client base, a contractor who knows your pricing and strategy, or any situation where you're likely to actually need to enforce it. In those cases, a solicitor review of the Atornee draft is a sensible and cost-effective step.

Can a non-solicitation agreement protect against staff poaching as well as client poaching?

Yes. You can include clauses covering both client solicitation and employee solicitation in the same agreement. Staff poaching clauses stop a former employee or contractor from recruiting your team after they leave. These are also subject to the reasonableness test under UK law, so they need to be scoped to specific individuals or roles rather than a blanket ban on hiring anyone who ever worked at your agency.

Related Atornee Guides

Cheap Contract Solicitor Alternative (UK)

Useful context for agencies weighing up AI drafting versus instructing a solicitor for contract work.

Cheap Solicitor for NDA (UK)

Pair with a non-solicitation agreement when you also need to protect confidential information shared with staff or contractors.

Atornee Use Cases

See how other UK agency founders and business owners use Atornee across different contract and legal document workflows.

External References

GOV.UK Business and Self-employed

Official UK government guidance on business operations, employment, and commercial relationships.

UK Legislation

Primary statutory reference for UK contract law and the legal framework governing restraint of trade clauses.

ICO Guidance for Organisations

Relevant where non-solicitation agreements involve handling personal data about clients or staff under UK GDPR.

Trust & Verification Policy

Authored By

A

Atornee Editorial Team

UK Contract Research

Reviewed By

C

Compliance Review Desk

UK Business Legal Content QA

Last reviewed on 3/4/2026

"This content is based on analysis of UK restraint of trade case law and common drafting patterns in agency employment and contractor agreements. It reflects the practical questions UK agency founders ask when protecting client and staff relationships."

References & Sources