Across the country, traditional noncompete agreements are under increasing judicial and legislative scrutiny. This series will discuss these developments, as well as the prospect of federal legislation or regulation, and will provide practical guidance to employers across the country as they seek to protect their workforces, customers, clients, and trade secrets in the years to come.
Topics to be covered include: alternatives to traditional noncompetes, such as nonsolicitation clauses, garden leave provisions, and forfeiture for competition provisions; best practices for multi-state employers with respect to noncompetition; and best practices for protecting trade secrets.
Part 2 of a 3 part series.
Russell Beck is a business, trade secrets, and employee mobility litigator, nationally recognized for his trade secrets and noncompete experience. He was invited to the Obama White House to develop guidelines for the proper use of noncompetes, and has been cited as an expert on trade secrets and noncompetes by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the White House, the Treasury Department, National Public Radio, the BBC World News Service, PBS Newshour, Le Monde, and many others.
Named a Lawyer of the Year in 2019 by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, and included in the Top 10 Lawyers in Massachusetts by Super Lawyers® in 2020, Russell and has over 30 years of experience as a complex business, trade secrets, and noncompete litigator, representing clients throughout the country.
Called “one of the foremost trade secret litigators in the country,” Russell is a recognized authority on the law of trade secrets, noncompetes, and employee mobility. In addition to revising language for the Massachusetts Uniform Trade Secrets Act, he wrote the law, wrote the book, and teaches the course on noncompetes in Massachusetts. His books include, Trade Secrets Law for the Massachusetts Practitioner (1st ed. MCLE 2019) and Negotiating, Drafting, and Enforcing Noncompetition Agreements and Related Restrictive Covenants (6th ed., MCLE, Inc. 2021), and the course he created and teaches is Trade Secrets and Restrictive Covenants at Boston University School of Law.
Russell also writes and administers the award-winning Fair Competition Law blog and publishes and lectures frequently. He also prepared his firm’s widely used 50 State Noncompete Survey (the first of its kind and updated regularly since 2010) and the firm’s 50 State Trade Secrets Comparison Chart (also the first of its kind).
Russell is President of the Boston Bar Foundation. And, prior to founding the firm, Russell was a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP, where he was founder and chair of the Trade Secret/Noncompete Practice. Before that, he was a partner at Epstein Becker & Green, PC, and an associate at Reynolds Rappaport & Kaplan and at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.
Peter Steinmeyer - When a highly valuable employee moves from one company to another, Pete Steinmeyer is an employer’s first call. Whether losing an employee to a competitor or hiring one away, companies trust Pete to respond at a moment’s notice with practical advice in plain English. Knowing he may only get one shot, he thrives in fast-paced, high-stakes environments while protecting a company’s most valuable data, trade secrets, and customer relationships. Pete diffuses stressful situations with humor and candor to help his clients decide what is truly important before they act.
Outside of his employee mobility practice, Pete counsels employers on responding to a wide variety of workplace challenges, including discipline and discharge. He also leads investigations of alleged workplace misconduct, such as harassment and retaliation. Through close communication and meticulous analysis of the details, Pete uncovers potential problems early. And when the facts show his client is in the right, he’ll fight to the end to prove it.
Pete is a thought leader who frequently writes and speaks about employment and workfor
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