Whilst agreeing, in principal, with what’s been said above, I’d like to point out that, just because something is written in a contract, even if you’ve signed it, doesn’t mean that any given clause is legal, or enforceable. Lawyers love to try and get away with as much as they can, thinking, usually correctly, that it will frighten you into believing that any piece of legalize written by a lawyer must necessarily be OK.
It isn’t.
“non-compete clauses” are a classic example – employers write them into your contracts, but, depending on your country (and state within the US), they are often basically a waste of ink. WikiPedia, amongst other places, is full of interesting examples of unenforceable contract clauses.
-- "Do not speak – unless it improves on silence."
