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Employment Law

At-Will Employment

How did the employment-at-will doctrine originate in the United States?

In England, the common rule was the so-called English rule, which provided that employment should be presumed for a year or through the respective season. This was a rule that provided a degree of protection to workers even when there was not the highest demand for labor. However, American employers in the late 1800s shifted focus to the at-will rule, perhaps as a way to complete in the growing industrial economy.