On Tuesday, October 17, 2023, Russell Beck will be speaking at Practising Law Institute’s program on trade secrets. The program, which will be held in San Francisco, is titled “Advanced Trade Secrets 2023: New Challenges, New Solutions, and New Opportunities.”

The one-day program starts at 9 a.m. PDT on October 17, 2023 and can also be watched online. More information and registration is available here.

Russell’s presentation is titled “Protecting Trade Secrets in Employee and Business Relationships: Sound Practices and New Imperatives”

His presentation is described as follows:

The national dialogue on noncompete agreements should not obscure a critical fact: if all an organization is doing to protect trade secrets is thinking about noncompete agreements, it is not doing enough. What are crucial ways of protecting trade secrets in employment and business relationships? After completing this session, participants will be able to:

    • Learn about drafting enforceable employee confidentiality agreements that teach but do not overreach
    • Discover ways to manage the employee life cycle and conduct training that captures attention from all levels of the organization
    • Understand how to conduct due diligence before exchanging information with other organizations
    • Plan and manage the business-to-business information-sharing life cycle
    • Manage the “build or buy” decision without compromising trade secrets

The day’s program is described as follows:

Trade secrets can be among an organization’s most valuable assets – when you know how to identify, protect, and safely share them. Trade secrets law can protect cutting edge technologies, improvements to mature technologies, new combinations of well-known information and a host of valuable technical and strategic information in between.

But misappropriation and claims of misappropriation can derail an organization’s business strategies—on both sides of the “v.” They can even lead to criminal exposure and liability for acts in the U.S. and abroad. Judgments in the scores of millions of dollars and even more are becoming increasingly common. So are appeals, reversals, and retrials.

The importance of trade secrets law and the potential risks to trade secrets are heightened when employees and consultants who have become immersed in trade secrets move to competitors who may be eager to learn them, or who may not have properly gauged and guarded against the risks. But trade secret disputes are not confined to the realm of mobile employees. Sharing trade secrets when pursuing potential mergers, acquisitions, and business collaborations can bring great opportunity but can also place both information and businesses at great risk.

To maximize value and reduce risk organizations must stay on top of the latest developments. This full day program brings together experts and thought leaders in the field to help you do just that.

Attendees will hear presentations on the following topics, among others:

  • Insight on what courts, legislatures, agencies, and businesses are thinking about and doing about trade secret issues in the U.S. and abroad
  • How some of the “old rules” are being tweaked and why they can be ignored only with peril
  • How to manage trade secret disputes right from the start, often in one or more venues globally
  • How exclusive reliance on noncompete agreements can leave trade secrets at risk and how to use alternative ways to protect trade secrets
  • How new forms of artificial intelligence can pose new risks to trade secrets—and how they may also offer new solutions

Speakers at the conference include a wide array of attorneys.

For up-to-the-minute analysis of legal issues concerning trade secrets and 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 thirty years of experience 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 (6th ed., MCLE, Inc. 2021), used by other lawyers to help them with their noncompete matters
  • Authoring the book Trade Secrets Law for the Massachusetts Practitioner (1st ed. MCLE 2019), covering trade secrets nationally, with a focus on Massachusetts law
  • 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 administering the award-winning blog, Fair Competition Law
  • Establishing and administering the Noncompete Lawyers and Trade Secret Protection groups on LinkedIn, with over 1,660 and 870 members, respectively, 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 2020 Chambers USA Guide, which stated that Russell Beck is “an expert in the field of trade secret and restrictive covenant law,” and is also noted for his “ability to adjust and come up with successful solutions.” 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 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.