Non-Compete and Trade Secret Litigation
Our team of attorneys at Nilan Johnson Lewis has deep expertise assisting employers in non-competition, non-solicitation, and trade secret matters. We routinely defend hiring employers (and frequently the departed employee) against these sorts of claims and prosecute claims on behalf of former employers. From the hiring employer perspective, we help clients quickly craft strategies to avoid litigation, or if litigation is unavoidable, to prepare the best defenses to misappropriation and tortious interference claims. For our former employer clients, we effectively communicate with former employees and their new employers to enforce restrictions, with our goal to enable our clients to prevent unfair competition and respond quickly and forcefully when it occurs.
We have litigated a wide range of claims associated with employees’ pre- and post-separation conduct in state and federal courts throughout the country, including in states like California, where courts disfavor restrictive covenants. Our clients range from Fortune 50 companies to startups, in industries including retail, medical device, manufacturing, logistics, various technology sectors, and others. We have particular expertise in ensuring litigation occurs in venues most favorable to our clients’ interests and in mining electronic and forensic data to develop evidence of wrongdoing. We are adept at seeking and obtaining emergency relief on behalf of our clients, and our considerable experience in this area allows us to resolve matters expeditiously, efficiently, and decisively. We understand that aggressive litigation often is necessary, but that these disputes often lend themselves to creative business solutions.
Outside the litigation context, we have helped our clients develop and implement effective strategies for protecting their business interests. For example, we offer audits of clients’ existing restrictive covenant practices, helping them assess their business needs to protect intellectual property and human capital, consider benefits of enforcing restrictive covenants, and minimize risks with practical preventive advice. We use this same expertise to help clients create and implement new nationwide restrictive covenant programs. We also provide advice regarding hiring new employees with restrictive covenant obligations, including analysis of contractual duties, maximizing “justification” defenses to tortious interference claims, and advising on potential preventative measures.

Matthew C. Murphy
Attorney & Co-Chair, Product Liability & Complex Torts

Daniel J. Supalla
Attorney & Co-Chair, Business Litigation
- Nilan Johnson Lewis Receives Women-Owned Business Certification
- Presidential Executive Order Targets Non-Compete Agreements
- In First Impression Decision, Minnesota Federal Court Applies Advice-of-Counsel Defense to Tortious Interference Claim
- Employers May Face No-Hire Claims
- Minnesota to Ban All Non-Competes and Non-Solicits?
- Nilan Johnson Lewis Welcomes Andrew Peterson as Associate
- In-House Lawyers Can Be Subjected to Restrictive Covenant Agreements, A Recent Decision Suggests
- “Freedom to Compete Act” Aims to Wipe Out Most Non-Compete Agreements
- DOJ Signals There Are Lawful “No-Poaching” Agreements
- The Questionable Non-Compete: How to Hire Someone but Avoid a Tortious Interference Claim
- How Employers Can Avoid California Labor Code Section 925
- The Changing “State” of Non-Compete Laws
- Will Social Media Make the Non-Compete as We Know It Obsolete?
- When Crafting a Non-Compete Agreement, Beware of Illusory Promises