Employment contract analyzer
Don't sign blind.
Already in the job and your employer hands you a separate employment agreement, severance contract, or restrictive-covenant amendment? Dang reads it and flags severance triggers, confidentiality scope, post-employment restrictions, and IP carry-overs.
No account requiredFile deleted after analysisNot legal advice
What Dang checks for
Post-offer employment contracts are denser than offer letters. Dang flags the patterns that move beyond standard at-will:
- Severance triggers. What events trigger severance, what amount, and what release of claims is required.
- Restrictive covenants. Non-compete, non-solicit, non-recruitment, non-disparagement. State enforceability varies. Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 16600, Colo. Rev. Stat. § 8-2-113.
- Confidentiality scope. Definition of "confidential information," carve-outs for what was already public, and survival period.
- IP and invention assignment. Pre-existing materials, off-hours inventions, and post-employment claims.
- Mandatory arbitration with class action waiver. Common; venue and scope worth understanding.
- Indemnification. Who indemnifies whom, and for what scope of conduct.
- Garden leave (Massachusetts). Required for non-compete enforceability. Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, § 24L.
- Cooperation and clawback clauses. Post-employment cooperation duties; bonus or stock clawback triggers.
State variation matters
Restrictive covenant enforceability is the highest-variation employment-contract dimension. Anchor states:
- California bans most non-competes outright. Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 16600.
- Colorado restricts by income threshold. 2026 threshold is $130,014. Colo. Rev. Stat. § 8-2-113.
- Massachusetts requires garden leave or mutual consideration for enforceability. Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, § 24L.
Sample preview
12-month non-compete with 50-mile radius. Worth checking against governing state's reasonableness standard.
Invention assignment extends to off-hours work unrelated to job duties. State law may limit this scope.
Mandatory arbitration with class action waiver. Disputes routed to private arbitration.
What to ask before signing
- What triggers severance, and what release of claims is required?
- What is the scope of restrictive covenants, and how does my state treat them?
- How is "confidential information" defined, and what carve-outs apply?
- Does IP assignment extend to off-hours or pre-existing work?
- What is the indemnification scope?
- Is there a clawback on bonuses, stock, or RSUs?
Frequently asked questions
How does an employment contract differ from an offer letter?
Offer letters set salary and start date; employment contracts add detail on severance, restrictive covenants, IP, confidentiality, and dispute resolution. Some employers use both; others bundle into a single document.
Can my employer hand me a new restrictive-covenant amendment after I started?
Yes, but enforceability often turns on whether you got separate consideration for the new restrictions. Several state laws require advance notice and additional consideration.
What is a clawback?
A clause requiring you to return bonuses, stock, or RSUs under certain conditions (e.g., resignation within a window, restatement, or for-cause termination).
What does this analyzer cost?
Preview is free. Full report is $6.99, one-time, no subscription.
Sources & further reading
- Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 16600 · California ban
- Colo. Rev. Stat. § 8-2-113 · Colorado income-threshold rule
- Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, § 24L · Massachusetts garden-leave requirement
No account required · File deleted after analysis · Not legal advice. Dang reports contract findings in plain English. For consequential decisions, consult a licensed attorney in your state.