Russell Beck will be the chairperson of Practising Law Institute’s inaugural program on noncompete agreements and other restrictive covenants. The program, which will be held in San Francisco, is titled “Noncompetes and Restrictive Covenants 2020: What Every Lawyer, Human Resources Professional, and Key Strategic Decisionmaker Should Know.”

In addition, Hannah T. Joseph will be speaking on a panel with Russell Beck about noncompete agrements at the PLI program. Their panel, titled “Level-Setting Noncompetes from Soup to Nuts,” will provide an overview of the patchwork of noncompete laws across the country, issues surrounding proof of causation and damages in noncompete cases, as well as recent developments in noncompete law.

The program will take place on January 31, 2020, at Practising Law Institute in San Francisco. The program, which runs from 9 a.m. to 5:30 PT will also be available online. Complete details are available here.

Speakers at the conference include a wide array of in-house and outside counsel, as well as a Commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission, Noah Joshua Phillips.

According to PLI, the program will help attendees:

  • Understand the basics of noncompete agreements
  • Discover how to use state of the art computer forensics to bolster your case for enforcement, and what it means for the defense
  • Find out advanced practices for seeking and defending against temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, and related preliminary orders
  • Learn how to prove causation and damages
  • Get the latest legislative developments regarding noncompete agreements and best practices from practitioners
  • Hear differing perspectives on noncompete policy from in-house counsel, academics, and others
  • Gain insight into judges’ approaches to the practical aspects of enforcing noncompetes

For up-to-the-minute analysis of legal issues concerning non-compete agreements in Massachusetts and across the United States, read Russell Beck’s blog, Fair Competition Law.

eck 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 featured Beck Reed Riden LLP’s noncompete agreement experience. In 2016, the White House issued a report entitled, “Non-Compete Agreements: Analysis of the Usage, Potential Issues, and State Responses,” relying in part on Beck Reed Riden LLP’s research and analysis, including its 50 State Noncompete Survey.

Russell Beck’s work in this area is well recognized, and includes:

  • Over twenty four years of working on trade secret, noncompete, and unfair competition matters
  • Assisting the Obama White House as part of a small working group to develop President Obama’s Noncompete Call to Action
  • Authoring the book Negotiating, Drafting, and Enforcing Noncompetition Agreements and Related Restrictive Covenants (5th ed., MCLE, Inc. 2015), used by other lawyers to help them with their noncompete matters
  • Drafting and advising on legislation for 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 1,600 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 2019 Chambers USA Guide, which stated that Russell Beck is a “terrific” attorney, who “is an excellent choice of counsel regarding noncompete agreements and the resolution of restrictive covenant disputes.” Chambers noted that Russell “basically wrote the new Massachusetts statute on noncompetes” and that “he’s an expert in employee mobility and nonrestrictive covenants.”

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 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.