Protect the customer relationships, goodwill, reputation and ideas that define your company.
Intangible goods, immeasurable risks.
The increased mobility of professionals in business means that proprietary ideas, strategies and relationships are exposed to risk. Technology makes it easy to appropriate business strategies, initiatives, client lists, trade secrets, trademarks, market research, product development and design information and pricing schemes. Unscrupulous competitors value this knowledge, and dishonest or careless former employees can cause irreparable damage.
Protect your confidential information.
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney's Trade Secrets & Restrictive Covenants Practice Group helps our clients identify the information to be protected and implement effective means to protect it. Among other things, we:
- Audit existing employment, termination and privacy policies and agreements
- Audit and develop protocols to monitor and safeguard access to confidential information
- Draft corporate policies on confidentiality and implement programs to educate the workforce
- Evaluate, draft and refine effective noncompete, nonsolicitation and nondisclosure agreements
- Educate key personnel on recruiting and post-employment guidelines
- Counsel management and staff on proper hiring and termination procedures
When prevention fails, litigation works.
When a former employee misappropriates a trade secret or violates a restrictive covenant, time is of the essence. We coordinate and assist with forensic investigations to unmask and prove improper conduct. If necessary, litigation typically involves accelerated proceedings, and with the depth of our experience in both arbitration and court proceedings, we help our clients stop the disclosure and recover appropriate damages. We also defend clients who, upon hiring an employee from a competing organization, may be sued for breach of contract or misappropriation of trade secrets.
Intellectual Property Protection.
Often, companies are faced with the need to protect their intellectual property and patents from misappropriation, both proactively and when an employee departs for a competitor. Capable of providing a full range of protection when such needs arise, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney has a deep bench of experienced
intellectual property litigators ready to assist in IP-related disputes.