How do I know if I am permitted to perform outside consulting under my employment agreement. What should I do?
You should check with your employer to confirm that you are permitted to consult through The Expert Network . You are solely responsible for determining whether you are permitted to consult according to your current employment terms.

If I am asked a question regarding a company for whom I have consulted may I discuss this?
You should carefully review your continuing obligations to any companies for whom you have consulted. Companies will sometimes put confidentiality restrictions in their consulting agreements that prohibit consultants from disclosing or discussing certain information for a period beyond the termination of the relationship.

If I am asked a question regarding a clinical trial which I worked on, may I discuss this?
You should not discuss non-public clinical trial data or patient experience information. Likewise, if you are a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Clinical Trial Steering Committee member, you must decline any consultation concerning current clinical trials. If you are not confident that you are permitted to undertake a particular consultation, you should decline.

If I am asked regarding customers or suppliers of the company I work for, can I discuss them?
It depends on the individual situation.  Generally you may speak about a company that is a customer or supplier of your employer, provided that you and your company have no confidentiality agreement with that customer or supplier and you do not disclose any information given to your company in confidence.  However, you may not discuss confidential information concerning your employer's relationship with the customer or supplier, such as orders between your employer and its supplier or customer.  If you are unsure whether information is confidential or otherwise restricted, you should not disclose it. 

Am I permitted to discuss the details of my consultations with other The Expert Network clients?
No. Your consultations with The Expert Network Clients – and any information you receive in connection with a consultation or an invitation to consult – are strictly confidential. You may not disclose a Client’s identity, the subjects discussed or any information or materials provided to you by a Client. Likewise, you should not share information concerning any surveys that you are provided by The Expert Network.
​
What is material non-public information?
“Material non-public information” is the legal term for information that can give rise to insider trading liability. Information is “material” if there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider it important in deciding whether to buy, sell or hold a security (e.g., a stock, bond or loan). To meet the threshold for materiality, there must exist a “substantial likelihood” that a fact would have been viewed by the reasonable investor as having significantly altered the ‘total mix’ of information made available. Information may be deemed material even if it relates to speculative or contingent events.
Information is regarded as “non-public” unless and until it has been broadly disseminated or made widely available to the general public and market. Means of dissemination could include public filings, coverage by major news organizations (including Bloomberg, Reuters etc), posting on widely-trafficked web sites, publication in reports and circulation in proxy materials. Even if a public announcement has been made about a particular matter, unpublicized aspects of the matter may remain “non-public” for purposes of the securities laws.
To be safe, you may not disclose any information that is confidential to any company. It is difficult to determine the materiality of particular facts in isolation and you should not attempt to do so. Instead, you should decline any project or inquiry that would involve disclosure of any confidential information.

If I am asked a question that would require me to reveal material non-public or otherwise confidential information, how should I respond?
You should explain that you cannot answer the question because it would cause you to reveal confidential information, then the client can move onto a different question. If you are uncomfortable continuing with the consultation, you may end it and invoice The Expert Network for your time of the engagement prior to is termination plus 15 minutes. You should also notify the The Expert Network 
If I become an Expert, am I prohibited from consulting for clients outside of The Expert Network ?
No. You may continue consulting with Clients of yours and may engage new Clients freely. The Expert Network only asks that you continue to work through us with any Client to whom we first introduced you. In the case of certain large Clients, it is possible that you may have an existing relationship with one division and be introduced by The Expert Network to Client employees in another. These situations will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

Am I permitted to act as a consultant for another primary company?
Yes. We only ask that you continue to work through us with any Client to whom we first introduced you.