There are two answers here. First, if you are asking if you need an attorney involved for a non-disclosure agreement that you are asked to sign, the answer is no, you don't need an attorney involved if you are asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
As long as the confidential data in question provides a genuine competitive advantage and the agreement's terms are deemed reasonable, Virginia courts have shown a willingness to uphold NDAs and enforce their provisions.
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Generally, NDAs will be enforced by a court, but some statutes and public policy may prevent the enforcement of an NDA. For example, many NDAs will be voided or partially so regarding criminal acts. Often NDAs may be unenforceable unless certain procedural requirements are met.
Five other key features must be included in your NDA to ensure it's legally binding, including a description of confidential information, obligations of the parties involved, any exclusions, the term of the agreement and consequences of a breach.
Typically, a legal professional writing the NDA will complete these steps: Step 1 - Describe the scope. Which information is considered confidential? ... Step 2 - Detail party obligations. Step 3 - Note potential exclusions. Step 4 - Set the term. Step 5 - Spell out consequences.
An NDA does not necessarily need to be notarized to be valid. The key elements for its validity are mutual agreement, clearly defined terms, and exchange of consideration (which can be the mutual exchange of information).
7 Key elements to a non-disclosure agreement Identification of involved parties. Definition of the confidential information. Information ownership. Exclusions not considered confidential. Obligations and requirements of the involved parties. Effective agreement period. Consequences of a breach.
Exclusions: These are the types of information which do not need to be kept confidential. This might include public knowledge, previously disclosed details, or information someone knew before entering a business or financial relationship with a company or firm.
Some of the exception clauses are: – Information that is in the public domain. – Information that the disclosing party disclosed before signing the agreement. – Information received by the “receiving party” from a third party, wherein the third party was not obliged to keep the information confidential.