Andrew J. Shapren

Andrew J. Shapren focuses his practice on labor and employment issues with a special emphasis on employee raiding and recruitment matters. He has served the employment law needs of a range of companies from local family businesses to nationwide Fortune 500 corporations.

Andrew has handled hundreds of cases involving the enforcement and defense of restrictive covenant agreements, protection of trade secrets and competitively sensitive business information, breach of employees' fiduciary duties, unfair competition and violation of various federal and state statutes prohibiting the misuse of employers' confidential information. In this area, Andrew has represented clients in various industries in state and federal courts throughout the country. Andrew has particular experience in the financial services industry, having handled over 100 cases in the FINRA arbitration forum. Andrew has also litigated employee transition matters in the AAA and JAMS arbitration forums.

Andrew also has experience litigating federal, state and administrative proceedings involving Equal Employment Opportunity laws such as Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. He has also handled various matters involving common law employment claims such as breach of contract and wrongful discharge.

Andrew's practice includes drafting and negotiating employment agreements, restrictive covenants and confidentiality agreements, as well as counseling employers regarding the protection of trade secrets, the legal and business issues surrounding the recruiting and departure of key employees and various other employment-related issues. Andrew also serves as a neutral investigator for claims of harassment and other policy violations in the workplace, as well as for student complaints in the higher education sector.

Below are some of Andrew's representative accomplishments:

• Obtained an arbitration award for $6 million in compensatory damages, plus punitive damages and attorneys’ fees on behalf of a financial services firm based on claims for misappropriation of a trade secret customer list.
• Obtained defense jury verdict in an age discrimination case tried in United States District Court on behalf of major retail client.
• Defended a financial services firm in a long running series of high-profile cases arising within the financial services industry, involving multiple employee departures related to the acquisition of a prior employer, involving multi-million dollar claims of “raiding,” unfair competition and misappropriation of trade secrets.
• Obtained three FINRA arbitration awards on behalf of financial services firm denying a competitor’s claims for raiding, unfair competition, breach of duty of loyalty and misappropriation of trade secrets in their entirety and awarding the client its attorneys’ fees expended in defending the claims.
• Obtained summary judgment for retailer on various claims by employees for age, gender and disability discrimination and retaliation.
• Obtained order of dismissal for employer in defense of claims by six management employees challenging their dismissals.
• Defended an independent financial consultant in emergency injunctive proceedings in which her former firm attempted to enforce restrictive covenants.
• Litigated a state court restrictive covenant/raiding claim on behalf of a nationwide private security service company against three former employees and a competitor company resulting in a stipulated six figure judgment and lengthy injunction prohibiting the defendants from competing.
• Obtained a temporary restraining order in federal court on behalf of a brokerage firm to enforce confidentiality, non-disclosure and non-solicitation obligations of a former employee.
• Reviewed, updated and drafted new restrictive covenants, nondisclosure agreements and trade secret protection policies for a nationwide private security services company, a nationwide pharmaceutical distribution company, a local insurance firm, a local public relations firm and a local ticketing solutions company.

Andrew has been selected to the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Stars list in the field of employment and labor each year since 2011. Andrew was recognized by Best Lawyers in America^© since 2022 in the area of Employment Law - Management. 

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