Unfair Competition and Information Protection Task Force
The Hunton & Williams LLP Unfair Competition and Information Protection Task Force provides aggressive and innovative representation to clients at risk of property theft or unfair competition by former employees. In an age when mobility of personnel and information is increasingly fluid and hard to detect, Hunton & Williams brings to bear the talents of our prominent trial lawyers and practitioners in employment law and intellectual property law to prevent losses before they occur and to litigate when needed.
Litigation over information theft and non-competition restrictions is a specialized effort unlike traditional business litigation. It requires preparation and experience tailored for emergency proceedings, expedited or compressed discovery, and the ability to proceed to trial without the benefit of advance disclosures. It also requires capabilities to quickly grasp and articulate to the court the special nature of the information and the business risks in peril. This variety of litigation does not often allow time for extensive legal research and analysis prior to court appearance without jeopardizing the client’s position.
To take maximal advantage of the rapid pace of such litigation and to leverage our firm’s expansive resources and experience, Hunton & Williams maintains and regularly updates a library and database of laws, trends, and procedures in various jurisdictions that can be quickly incorporated into trial plans and briefing without causing delay. We also have a complex knowledge management system that allows us to access briefs and memoranda and increase efficiency in analyzing legal issues and facts in various jurisdictions. In addition, we have robust practice groups in virtually every area of corporate law and industry who can provide whatever expertise is needed to achieve the best and most cost effective results for our clients.
While thorough and expedited preparation is a hallmark of our Team, we also recognize the vital importance of presenting a case in the most clear, strategic, and persuasive manner possible. Our Team boasts some of the nation’s most capable trial lawyers and courtroom veterans. They apply decades of complex litigation experience to strategic issues such as choice of forum, timing, use of witnesses and evidence, cross-border enforcement, and use of appropriate leverage outside the courtroom. Part of being an effective litigator is understanding the business objectives of the client, and achieving those objectives directly and efficiently, whether through avenues inside or outside the courthouse. Our Team’s attorneys never lose sight of the business objectives.
Litigation is not the only service in which we provide a high value. We regularly assist clients in developing an overall protection scheme, which may include the use of non-competition and/or non-solicitation agreements, policies and procedure manuals, facility security and data security protocols, among other measures. We draw upon our litigation experience to provide guidance and counseling of clients not only in how to ensure that restrictive covenants are enforceable under applicable laws, but also in what practical measures can be taken to prevent and deter misappropriation of trade secrets and confidential information by departing employees. We also regularly partner, where necessary, with appropriate vendors to design facility and data security measures.
Contacts
Robert T. Quackenboss | rquackenboss@hunton.com | (404) 888-4186
Alan J. Marcuis | amarcuis@hunton.com | (214) 979-3060
Roland M. Juarez | rjuarez@hunton.com | (213) 532-2145
Juan C. Enjamio | jenjamio@hunton.com | (305) 810-2511
