Unlike a nondisclosure agreement, noncompete and nonsolicitation agreements limit an individual's ability to
perform work in his or her chosen profession for a certain period of time. As of today, no court has determined
whether a noncompete or nonsolicitation would be deemed valid and enforceable against an intern. But it is
unlikely that a court would find such an agreement valid. The reason is that an employer would be hard-pressed
to point to the "legitimate interest" it is trying to protect with the use of such an agreement. Further, a court is
unlikely to restrict the ability of a college student to engage in his chosen profession when he or she is just
entering the work force. While an employer may have interns sign such agreements; the likelihood is that they
are not going to be worth the paper on which they are drafted.