“Standard” non-compete terms?

Someone asked me if I could let him know the “standard” distance/time for non-compete clauses.  Unfortunately, there is no standard.  My attorney said two years is pretty much the limit for time of the restriction against competing (more than two years, in other words, is unreasonable restriction of trade), but mileage depends on the area.  In a city, 10-15 miles is probably the furthest limit, while 20-30 miles might not be unreasonable in a rural area.  Look carefully at what I call the “circle of practice” to get an idea of what area might be reasonable for someone to draw patients from.

For more information, see the new PLUS edition of Planning for Practice Success.