Russell Beck to Speak at DRI’s Business and Intellectual Property Litigation Conference
On Thursday, April 27, 2023, Russell Beck will be speaking at DRI’s 2023 Business and Intellectual Property Litigation Super Conference. The event will be held in New Orleans.
Russell’s presentation is titled “Hold onto Your Trade Secrets: The Winds of Change are Howling Around Employee Noncompete Agreements.”
The three-day, in-person program starts on April 26, 2023. More details are available here.
According to the event’s description, at DRI’s Business Litigation and Intellectual Property Super Conference, among other things, attendees will learn about generational differences impacting the practice of law, issues in front of the Supreme Court and the anticipated effects of future rulings, the sweeping changes affecting restrictive covenants.
Russell’s presentation on noncompete agreements is described as follows:
Nearly sixty percent of employees who change jobs admit to stealing trade secrets on their way out the door. The harm to the economy and innovation caused by the misappropriation is so great that it led to the near unanimous passage of the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016, establishing a federal private right of action for trade secret misappropriation. Yet, in the name of enhancing employee mobility, the key agreements designed to protect trade secrets — employee noncompete and nondisclosure agreements — are under attack in legislatures across the country, in Congress, and at the Federal Trade Commission. This presentation will explore this dilemma and the steps companies can take to protect their trade secrets in the face of recent and anticipated regulation favoring employee mobility over the protection of trade secrets.
DRI is the largest international membership organization of attorneys defending the interests of business and individuals in civil litigation.
For up-to-the-minute analysis of legal issues concerning trade secrets and noncompete agreements in Massachusetts and across the United States, read Russell Beck’s blog, Fair Competition Law.
Russell frequently writes and speaks about current efforts to regulate noncompete agreements. He was featured on NPR and quoted in the New York Times discussing federal regulatory efforts targeting noncompete agreements. In January 2023, Russell was quoted in a Bloomberg Law article about the FTC’s proposed rule, and he wrote an article for Law360 called “Companies Must Brace For FTC’s Overbroad Noncompete Rule.” In April 2020, Russell Beck and Erika Hahn’s article about the FTC’s investigation about whether it should regulate noncompetes was published by Law360. In July 2019, Law360 published Russell Beck’s analysis of misconceptions in the noncompete debate.
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.
Boston Magazine has included four Beck Reed Riden LLP attorneys in the publication’s “
Super Lawyers Magazine has selected 
On Tuesday, January 31, 2023, 
Forum selection for civil enforcement
Panelists will discuss the current landscape, what the rule says, what the impact will be on employers, what the timeline might be for implementation, the implications for non-disclosure agreements and other restrictive covenants, what alternatives the FTC might consider, and what businesses can do.
or 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, 
ussell observes that the FTC’s