Inc.com Article Features Russell Beck’s Noncompete Analysis

The June 9, 2014, online edition of Inc. magazine features an article that cites to Russell Beck‘s research and writing about noncompete Screen Shot 2014-06-17 at 11.41.33 AMagreements. The article about non-competition covenants is titled “The Business Case Against Asking Employees to Sign a Non-Compete Agreement.”  The article is by Inc. magazine’s staff writer, Jeremy Quittner.

The story blends opinions, facts, and arguments to support the position that non-compete agreements are bad for businesses and the economy. The article links to a Wall Street Journal article featuring Russell Beck’s research on trends in noncompete lawsuits. In addition, the Inc. magazine article cites Russell Beck’s blog–Fair Competition Law–in a section discussing recent developments in the Massachusetts legislature concerning noncompete agreements.

Beck Reed Riden LLPis among the leading authorities in trade secret, noncompete, and unfair competition law, and our experience handling these matters is backed by our extensive employment law and business litigation experience. Our hand-picked team combines attorneys with complementary expertise and practical experience. The Wall Street Journal recently featured Beck Reed Riden LLP’s noncompete agreement experience.

Russell Beck’s work in this area is well recognized; it includes:

  • Over sixteen years of working on trade secret, noncompete, and unfair competition matters
  • Authoring the book Negotiating, Drafting, and Enforcing Noncompetition Agreements and Related Restrictive Covenants (4th ed., MCLE, Inc. 2010), used by other lawyers to help them with their noncompete cases
  • Drafting and advising on the current bill pending before the Massachusetts Legislature to define, codify, and improve noncompetition law
  • Teaching Trade Secrets and Restrictive Covenants at Boston University School of Law
  • Founding and administrating the award-winning blog, Fair Competition Law
  • Establishing and administrating the Noncompete Lawyers and Trade Secret Protection groups on LinkedIn, with over 750 members around the world
  • Founded and chaired the Trade Secret / Noncompete Practice for an AmLaw 100 firm

In addition, Russell was honored for his work in this area of law in the 2014 Chambers USA Guide, which explained that “Russell Beck of Beck Reed Riden LLP specializes in noncompete litigation and is a trade secrets expert. He comes highly recommended by his peers for his nationwide practice in this niche. ‘He’s fantastic,’ sources say.”

Beck Reed Riden LLP is Boston’s innovative litigation boutique. Our lawyers have years of experience at large law firms, working with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups and individuals. We focus on business litigation and labor and employment. We are experienced litigators and counselors, helping our clients as business partners to resolve issues and develop strategies that best meet our clients’ legal and business needs – before, during, and after litigation. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and help you. Read more about us, the types of matters we handle, and what we can do for you here.

Russell Beck Quoted in Boston Magazine

Russell BeckThe May 29, 2014, online edition of Boston Magazine features Russell Beck in an article about new legislation in Massachusetts concerning noncompete agreements. The story is titled “Committee to Discuss Governor’s Economic Development Bill.” It is written by Steve Annear, staff digitaBoston Magazinel writer for Boston Magazine.

The story focuses on Governor Deval Patrick’s proposal to eliminate noncompete agreements in Massachusetts. In the article, Russell Beck discusses his testimony before the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies:

While a good deal of business leaders within the [tech and investment] sector have had unbridled support for Patrick’s pitch, some—like legal advisors—are being cautious about what’s written in the governor’s language. “I do not have a position on whether the legislature should dissolve non-competes. I understand both sides of the issue and do not view my role in advising the legislators and the Patrick Administration to include taking a position on policy; that’s for them to decide,” said Russell Beck, a lawyer versed in fair competition and intellectual property, from the firm Beck, Reed, and Riden in Boston. “My only concern is that if they enact this bill, they do it the right way. I have provided them with language to fix some of the problem language and will be speaking to that later today.”

A recent issue of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly State house strtfeatures Russell Beck’s analysis of what would happen if noncompete agreements are eliminated in Massachusetts.

Beck Reed Riden LLPis among the leading authorities in trade secret, noncompete, and unfair competition law, and our experience handling these matters is backed by our extensive employment law and business litigation experience. Our hand-picked team combines attorneys with complementary expertise and practical experience. The Wall Street Journal recently featured Beck Reed Riden LLP’s noncompete agreement experience.

Russell Beck’s work in this area is well recognized; it includes:

  • Over sixteen years of working on trade secret, noncompete, and unfair competition matters
  • Authoring the book Negotiating, Drafting, and Enforcing Noncompetition Agreements and Related Restrictive Covenants (4th ed., MCLE, Inc. 2010), used by other lawyers to help them with their noncompete cases
  • Drafting and advising on the current bill pending before the Massachusetts Legislature to define, codify, and improve noncompetition law
  • Teaching Trade Secrets and Restrictive Covenants at Boston University School of Law
  • Founding and administrating the award-winning blog, Fair Competition Law
  • Establishing and administrating the Noncompete Lawyers and Trade Secret Protection groups on LinkedIn, with over 750 members around the world
  • Founded and chaired the Trade Secret / Noncompete Practice for an AmLaw 100 firm

In addition, Russell was honored for his work in this area of law in the 2014 Chambers USA Guide, which explained that “Russell Beck of Beck Reed Riden LLP specializes in noncompete litigation and is a trade secrets expert. He comes highly recommended by his peers for his nationwide practice in this niche. ‘He’s fantastic,’ sources say.”

Beck Reed Riden LLP is Boston’s innovative litigation boutique. Our lawyers have years of experience at large law firms, working with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups and individuals. We focus on business litigation and labor and employment. We are experienced litigators and counselors, helping our clients as business partners to resolve issues and develop strategies that best meet our clients’ legal and business needs – before, during, and after litigation. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and help you. Read more about us, the types of matters we handle, and what we can do for you here.

Russell Beck Ranked By Chambers

Russell BeckRussell Beck‘s experience with noncompete and trade secret matters is lauded in the 2014 Chambers USA Guide.

Chambers explains that “Russell Beck of Beck Chambers Logo 2014Reed Riden LLP specializes in noncompete litigation and is a trade secrets expert. He comes highly recommended by his peers for his nationwide practice in this niche. ‘He’s fantastic,’ sources say.”

Russell was first ranked by Chambers USA in its 2010 guide, and was also honored by Chambers USA in 2011, 2012, and 2013.

Beck Reed Riden LLPis among the leading authorities in trade secret, noncompete, and unfair competition law, and our experience handling these matters is backed by our extensive employment law and business litigation experience. Our hand-picked team combines attorneys with complementary expertise and practical experience.

Russell Beck’s work in this area is well recognized; it includes:

  • Over sixteen years of working on trade secret, noncompete, and unfair competition matters
  • Authoring the book Negotiating, Drafting, and Enforcing Noncompetition Agreements and Related Restrictive Covenants (4th ed., MCLE, Inc. 2010), used by other lawyers to help them with their noncompete cases
  • Drafting and advising on the current bill pending before the Massachusetts Legislature to define, codify, and improve noncompetition law
  • Teaching Trade Secrets and Restrictive Covenants at Boston University School of Law
  • Founding and administrating the award-winning blog, Fair Competition Law
  • Establishing and administrating the Noncompete Lawyers and Trade Secret Protection groups on LinkedIn, with over 750 members around the world
  • Founded and chaired the Trade Secret / Noncompete Practice for an AmLaw 100 firm

Beck Reed Riden LLPis Boston’s innovative litigation boutique. Our lawyers have years of experience at large law firms, working with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups and individuals. We focus on business litigation and labor and employment. We are experienced litigators and counselors, helping our clients as business partners to resolve issues and develop strategies that best meet our clients’ legal and business needs – before, during, and after litigation. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and help you. Read more about us, the types of matters we handle, and what we can do for you here.

Will Haddad Quoted in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

Massachusetts Lawyers WeeklyThe April 28, 2014, issue of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly features Will Haddad in an article about federal securities class action lawsuits. The article is titled “M&A suits prevalent, controversial.”

Will HaddadThe article focuses on the ubiquity of class action lawsuits challenging mergers & acquisitions. In the article, Will addresses a pending Supreme Court case involving securities fraud lawsuits as follows:

And when it comes to another type of shareholder class actions — securities fraud cases — a pending U.S. Supreme Court decision could drastically alter the landscape. In Halliburton v. Erica P. John Fund, the court has been asked to reconsider the long-recognized presumption that investors have relied on misstatements, whether they prove that they have or not, based on the “fraud on the market” theory that markets are efficient and any pertinent information, including misstatements, are immediately reflected in a company’s share price.

Securities litigator William A. Haddad of Beck, Reed, Riden in Boston said he believes the theory is flawed because, “as we’ve seen, there’s great irrationality in the market.” He said the Supreme Court justices hinted during oral arguments that they may at least modify, if not eliminate, the presumption.

“The presumption is a cornerstone of how class actions are brought,” Haddad said. “The bottom line is that if the fraud on the market presumption is pulled back, plaintiffs’ lawyers will have a hard time proving reliance up front. I think it’s fair to say it’s going to be disruptive to the whole plaintiffs’ bar. It’s going to be a sea change.”

The article is by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s reporter, Brandon Gee.

Will Haddad is a partner at Beck Reed Riden LLP. He handles civil litigation involving all kinds of commercial disputes, as well as client responses to government investigations and enforcement actions. He has appeared in state and federal courts, along with various government and industry forums, including the SEC and FINRA.

Beck Reed Riden LLPis Boston’s innovative litigation boutique. Our lawyers have years of experience at large law firms, working with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups and individuals. We focus on business litigation and labor and employment. We are experienced litigators and counselors, helping our clients as business partners to resolve issues and develop strategies that best meet our clients’ legal and business needs – before, during, and after litigation. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and help you. Read more about us, the types of matters we handle, and what we can do for you here.

What if noncompete agreements are eliminated in Massachusetts?

Russell BeckThe current issue of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly features Russell Beck’s article about potential changes to the landscape of noncompete agreements in Massachusetts. The article is called “What to do if non-competes are eliminated in Massachusetts.” Russell Beck’s articlMassachusetts Lawyers Weeklye, which appears below, can also be found on Russell’s blog, Fair Competition Law.

 

The Patrick administration has spent a great deal of time putting together comprehensive legislation designed to promote growth and opportunity in Massachusetts. Of particular note is the proposal to adopt a version of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act coupled with a California-like ban of employee non-competes.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have been working with the administration (in particular, the Office of Housing and Economic Development) on the language of Section 53, the relevant section of the bill, and with other lawmakers at the State House on other versions as well. However, I view my role purely as an advisor on the drafting to accomplish the particular policy, not on what that policy should be.

If the Patrick administration’s version is the one that succeeds, the obvious question is: What should companies do to protect their legitimate business interests without non-competes?

There are a number of steps that should be taken, many of which companies have been taking all along, though perhaps not as vigilantly as they will need to going forward.

Here are the five key steps:

FIRSTand foremost is to review all existing restrictive covenant, employee and independent contractor agreements. If the bill is adopted in its current form, the language states that it will apply to existing agreements — and not just agreements with employees, but with independent contractors as well.

That means that existing agreements are not immune and may need to be changed. If they include well-drafted non-solicitation State house strt(of customers), no-raid (of employees), and confidentiality provisions, it is possible they can be left intact, recognizing that the non-compete provision will simply be unenforceable.

However, if those other protections are missing, too limited or simply not well-drafted, they will need to be revised. If they need to be revised, the employer should consider the best timing and method to do so in order to avoid running afoul of arguments concerning notice, equity/fairness and consideration.

SECONDand equally important, proper safeguards must be in place to protect company trade secrets (which in Massachusetts include confidential information and can cover anything from the secret formula to Coke to customer lists) from the risk of misappropriation in the first place.

Accordingly, a trade secrets protection plan (sometimes called a “trade secrets audit”) will be more important now than ever before. Key elements are steps to lock down information, education of employees and others with access to trade secrets, and plans for responding to a possible misappropriation.

Instituting a proper trade secrets protection plan does not guarantee confidential information will never be misappropriated or that the employer cannot still sue if it is. (Seventy-five percent of employees admit to taking company information.) But, a proper trade secrets protection plan should help limit the number of times an employer will need to resort to litigation, while simultaneously increasing the likelihood of obtaining injunctive relief through litigation.

Note that trade secrets litigation is more costly than non-compete litigation, because there is no bright line to rely on for purposes of getting quick injunctive relief. With non-compete litigation (assuming the agreement is enforceable), it is generally clear whether the obligation has been breached or not: Either the employee is at the competitor or he is not. With trade secrets litigation, the odds are much greater that discovery will be necessary to determine whether the employer’s information is, in fact, being used and how.

THIRDLike the prophylactic protections for trade secrets, safeguards should also be put in place to protect the company’s customer goodwill from the risk of misappropriation. The most obvious is non-solicitation agreements.But other steps should be taken as well. Those include having multiple points of contact with each customer when feasible, plans for securing the relationships upon an employee’s departure, and proper mechanisms for managing social media accounts and contacts.

Screen Shot 2014-04-22 at 4.06.01 PMThe protections available for retaining talent should not be forgotten. If an employer wants to limit departing employees from poaching the remaining employees, it must have proper no-raid (or no-hire) agreements (sometimes called non-solicitation agreements or no-poach agreements) in place.In addition, the employer should take steps to give employees reason to stay — and, separately, disincentives to leave. For example, forfeiture agreements (agreements that require the forfeiture of certain benefits or payments if the employee leaves) are one tool that should be considered.

FIFTHIf litigation is necessary, move quickly. Delay can be the biggest problem for companies in these cases. And, without the protections of non-compete agreements, delay can create even greater risks of loss of trade secrets, relationships or employees.

 

Beck Reed Riden LLP is among the leading authorities in trade secret, noncompete, and unfair competition law, and our experience handling these matters is backed by our extensive employment law and business litigation experience. Our hand-picked team combines attorneys with complementary expertise and practical experience. The Wall Street Journal recently featured Beck Reed Riden LLP’s noncompete agreement experience.

Russell Beck’s work in this area is well recognized; it includes:

  • Over sixteen years of working on trade secret, noncompete, and unfair competition matters
  • Authoring the book Negotiating, Drafting, and Enforcing Noncompetition Agreements and Related Restrictive Covenants (4th ed., MCLE, Inc. 2010), used by other lawyers to help them with their noncompete cases
  • Drafting and advising on the current bill pending before the Massachusetts Legislature to define, codify, and improve noncompetition law
  • Teaching Trade Secrets and Restrictive Covenants at Boston University School of Law
  • Founding and administrating the award-winning blog, Fair Competition Law
  • Establishing and administrating the Noncompete Lawyers and Trade Secret Protection groups on LinkedIn, with over 750 members around the world
  • Founded and chaired the Trade Secret / Noncompete Practice for an AmLaw 100 firm

In addition, Russell was honored for his work in this area of law in the 2013 Chambers USA Guide, which included Russell in its “Notable Practitioners” section, adding that “Russell Beck of Beck Reed Riden LLP is respected by commentators for his skills as a litigator. His areas of specialty include noncompete and trade secrets matters.”

Beck Reed Riden LLP is Boston’s innovative litigation boutique. Our lawyers have years of experience at large law firms, working with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups and individuals. We focus on business litigation and labor and employment. We are experienced litigators and counselors, helping our clients as business partners to resolve issues and develop strategies that best meet our clients’ legal and business needs – before, during, and after litigation. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and help you. Read more about us, the types of matters we handle, and what we can do for you here.

Will Haddad in The Champion Magazine

The March 2014 issue of The Champion magazine features William Haddad’s analysis of the verdict in the insider trading case of United States of America v. Mathew Martoma. Will’s article is titled White Collar Crime: The Martoma Verdict and the Perils of Insider Trading Cases. A copy of the article is available here.

Will HaddadIn February 2014, the jury in the Southern District of New York found the former SAC Capital Advisors LP manager guilty for three counts of insider trading.

In the article, Will details Martoma’s insider trading scheme, and analyzes the tactics of the prosecution and defense. Will writes:

In the end, however, the jury saw it the government’s way, perhaps latching on to rhetoric that insider trading is just like “cheating” and that Martoma had the “answer sheet before the exam.”

Among the lessons from the verdict, Will concludes that:

Regardless of the result with respect to potential criminal charges against [SAC’s billionaire founder Steven A.] Cohen, U.S. Attorney Bharara’s 100 percent success rate should give defense counsel representing insider trading clients pause. Of the 79 people convicted of insider trading, 12 individuals chose to go to trial, including Raj Rajaratnam, the co-founder of Galleon Group LLC. Mr. Rajaratnam, along with most if not all of the other trial defendants, had significant financial resources with which to retain some of the country’s top white collar defense talent.

But having excellent representation has not been enough. The government has the ability to pick and choose its cases and has the power to obtain wiretaps, as well as the power to offer substantially reduced charges and/or sentences to witnesses.
In addition, jurors do not always grasp the nuanced distinction between aggressive but legitimate market research.

Will Haddad is a partner at Beck Reed Riden LLP. He handles civil litigation involving all kinds of commercial disputes, as well as client responses to government investigations and enforcement actions. He has appeared in state and federal courts, along with various government and industry forums, including the SEC and FINRA.

The Champion magazine is the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL)’s journal. The magazine offers timely, informative articles written for and by criminal defense lawyers, featuring the latest developments in search and seizure laws, DUI/DWI, grand jury proceedings, habeas, the exclusionary rule, death penalty, RICO, federal sentencing guidelines, forfeiture, white collar crime, and more. The Champion is published ten times per year.

About Beck Reed Riden LLP

Beck Reed Riden LLP is Boston’s innovative litigation boutique. Our lawyers have years of experience at large law firms, working with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups and individuals. We focus on business litigation and labor and employment. We are experienced litigators and counselors, helping our clients as business partners to resolve issues and develop strategies that best meet our clients’ legal and business needs – before, during, and after litigation. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and help you. Read more about us, the types of matters we handle, and what we can do for you here.

 

Hannah Joseph Spearheads Intellectual Property Workshop

Hannah Joseph, an associate at Beck Reed Riden LLP, conceived and helped organize a new educational series at the Boston Bar Association focused on developing skill sets for new lawyers. The IP Basics Workshop Series begins on Monday, March 17, 2014, with a BBAworkshop on licensing agreements across the various IP fields. The workshop will be held at the Boston Bar Association, 16 Beacon Street, Boston, MA, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Registration information is here.

Attorney Dan Lev of FastCAP Systems will cover the following topics:

  • Terms used in licensing agreements
  • Typical provisions and rights involved in licensing agreements
  • How provisions may vary depending on the type of IP
  • Various transactional structures
  • Due diligence
  • Potential pitfalls and things to look out for

He will also go over sample agreements and clauses.

The IP Basics Workshop Series is designed to give lawyers basic, practical skills that they can apply in real world settings.

hannah josephHannah Joseph is an associate at Beck Reed Riden LLP.  Hannah’s experience includes employment law, litigation, client counseling, and governmental regulation.

About Us

Beck Reed Riden LLP is Boston’s innovative litigation boutique. Our lawyers have years of experience at large law firms, working with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups and individuals. We focus on business litigation and labor and employment. We are experienced litigators and counselors, helping our clients as business partners to resolve issues and develop strategies that best meet our clients’ legal and business needs – before, during, and after litigation. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and help you. Read more about us, the types of matters we handle, and what we can do for you here.

Will Haddad to Give Presentation on FINRA Rules for Social Media

On February 12, 2014, Will Haddad will appear on a panel at the Boston Bar Association titled “Friending, Tweeting, and Connecting: Regulatory and Enforcement Issues Facing Broker-Dealers and Investment Advisors in a Social Media World.”

Will HaddadThis program will address direct and supervisory responsibilities for the use of social media by broker-dealers, registered representatives, or registered investment advisors. The panel will discuss current FINRA Rules and Guidance on the use of social media with an opportunity to discuss real-world scenarios.

The event will be at the BBA, 16 Beacon Street, Boston, MA, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

More information and registration information is available here.

Will Haddad is a partner at Beck Reed Riden LLP. He handles civil litigation involving all kinds of commercial disputes, as well as client responses to government investigations and enforcement actions. He has appeared in state and federal courts, along with various government and industry forums, including the SEC and FINRA.

About Us

Beck Reed Riden LLP is Boston’s innovative litigation boutique. Our lawyers have years of experience at large law firms, working with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups and individuals. We focus on business litigation and labor and employment. We are experienced litigators and counselors, helping our clients as business partners to resolve issues and develop strategies that best meet our clients’ legal and business needs – before, during, and after litigation. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and help you. Read more about us, the types of matters we handle, and what we can do for you here.

Beck Reed Riden LLP in The Wall Street Journal’s Blog

The Wall Street Journal’s blog, The Accelerators, features Russell Beck in an article about employee recruiting by startups titled “Lacking Qualified Applicants, ‘Passive Candidates’ Offer Hope.” The article, published on January 29, 2014, is by Dow Jones VentureWire and WSJ reporter, Lora Kolodny.WallStreetJournal-logo

The story focuses how startups can recruit new employees from other companies by looking for so-called “passive candidates” — i.e., people who aren’t actively seeking a new job.   

In the article, Russell Beck addresses a potential risk to this type of employee recruitment strategy:

Startups could also land in hot water if they try to poach too many employees from one company, warns Russell Beck, a founding partner at Boston law firm Beck Reed Riden LLP.

“That company may be harmed as a consequence, and can sue you for it,” he says, adding that the distraction and costs of litigation could put a smaller, less-capitalized venture out of business.

The Wall Street Journal has previously featured Russell Beck’s work on noncompete agreements, including an article titled “When a New Job Leads to a Lawsuit: Litigation Over Noncompete Clauses Is Rising; Does Entrepreneurship Suffer?

About us

Beck Reed Riden LLP is among the leading authorities in trade secret, noncompete, and unfair competition law, and our experience handling these matters is backed by our extensive employment law and business litigation experience. Our hand-picked team combines attorneys with complementary expertise and practical experience.

Russell Beck’s work in this area is well recognized; it includes:

  • Over sixteen years of working on trade secret, noncompete, and unfair competition matters
  • Authoring the book Negotiating, Drafting, and Enforcing Noncompetition Agreements and Related Restrictive Covenants (4th ed., MCLE, Inc. 2010), used by other lawyers to help them with their noncompete cases
  • Drafting and advising on the current bill pending before the Massachusetts Legislature to define, codify, and improve noncompetition law
  • Teaching Trade Secrets and Restrictive Covenants at Boston University School of Law
  • Founding and administrating the award-winning blog, Fair Competition Law
  • Establishing and administrating the Noncompete Lawyers and Trade Secret Protection groups on LinkedIn, with over 750 members around the world
  • Founded and chaired the Trade Secret / Noncompete Practice for an AmLaw 100 firm

In addition, Russell was honored for his work in this area of law in the 2013 Chambers USA Guide, which included Russell in its “Notable Practitioners” section, adding that “Russell Beck of Beck Reed Riden LLP is respected by commentators for his skills as a litigator. His areas of specialty include noncompete and trade secrets matters.”

Beck Reed Riden LLP is Boston’s innovative litigation boutique. Our lawyers have years of experience at large law firms, working with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups and individuals. We focus on business litigation and labor and employment. We are experienced litigators and counselors, helping our clients as business partners to resolve issues and develop strategies that best meet our clients’ legal and business needs – before, during, and after litigation. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and help you. Read more about us, the types of matters we handle, and what we can do for you here.

 

Russell Beck to Speak at Noncompete Agreement Seminar

Russell Beck will be a panelist at a seminar in Boston titled Irreparable Harm: Enforcing and Escaping Employee Non-Competition Agreements.

The Massachusetts Bar Association is sponsoring the seminar, which will beMassachusetts Bar Association MBA held on Thursday, February 20, 2014, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Foley Hoag LLP’s offices in Boston. Registration information is here.

beckThe seminar will feature discussion and debate about the enforcement and defense of noncompete agreements.

The Massachusetts Bar Association describes the event as follows:

Are employee non-competition agreements really enforceable?  Employers of every size use or at least consider using non-competition agreements in an attempt to protect their businesses and limit competitive activity by former employees.

The Education Committee of the Young Lawyers Division is hosting an expert panel to discuss the enforcement of these agreements, or lack thereof, and what effect proposed legislation in Massachusetts could have on this area of the law.

Seasoned litigators, Russell Beck of Beck Reed Riden, Patrick Curran of Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart and Barbara Robb of Shilepsky Hartley, Rob, Casey, Michon join Michael Rosen at the offices of Foley Hoag to share with the Bar their experiences and thoughts on what employers – and employees – should be doing to protect themselves.

About us

Beck Reed Riden LLP is among the leading authorities in trade secret, noncompete, and unfair competition law, and our experience handling these matters is backed by our extensive employment law and business litigation experience. Our hand-picked team combines attorneys with complementary expertise and practical experience. The Wall Street Journal recently featured Beck Reed Riden LLP’s noncompete agreement experience.

Russell Beck’s work in this area is well recognized; it includes:

  • Over sixteen years of working on trade secret, noncompete, and unfair competition matters
  • Authoring the book Negotiating, Drafting, and Enforcing Noncompetition Agreements and Related Restrictive Covenants (4th ed., MCLE, Inc. 2010), used by other lawyers to help them with their noncompete cases
  • Drafting and advising on the current bill pending before the Massachusetts Legislature to define, codify, and improve noncompetition law
  • Teaching Trade Secrets and Restrictive Covenants at Boston University School of Law
  • Founding and administrating the award-winning blog, Fair Competition Law
  • Establishing and administrating the Noncompete Lawyers and Trade Secret Protection groups on LinkedIn, with over 750 members around the world
  • Founded and chaired the Trade Secret / Noncompete Practice for an AmLaw 100 firm

In addition, Russell was honored for his work in this area of law in the 2013 Chambers USA Guide, which included Russell in its “Notable Practitioners” section, adding that “Russell Beck of Beck Reed Riden LLP is respected by commentators for his skills as a litigator. His areas of specialty include noncompete and trade secrets matters.”

Beck Reed Riden LLP is Boston’s innovative litigation boutique. Our lawyers have years of experience at large law firms, working with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups and individuals. We focus on business litigation and labor and employment. We are experienced litigators and counselors, helping our clients as business partners to resolve issues and develop strategies that best meet our clients’ legal and business needs – before, during, and after litigation. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and help you. Read more about us, the types of matters we handle, and what we can do for you here.

 

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