Overview
Trade secret misappropriation claims often move quickly, and the legal team needs to match the pace, whether the client is alleging misappropriation or defending against a claim. When confidential information is taken, whether by a departing employee, a business partner, a consultant, or a competitor, the trade secret owner's first priority is to stop the damage before it spreads and protect their assets. For a client accused of misappropriation, that same urgency applies to responding quickly and protecting its position before the dispute escalates.
Leason Ellis represents both claimants and defendants in trade secret disputes under the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) and applicable state laws. Our work includes claims of misappropriation, breach of confidentiality obligations, and related unfair competition claims. We move quickly to seek emergency relief for claimants or oppose it for defendants. Depending on the circumstances, that relief may include temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, and, in extraordinary circumstances, civil seizure orders under the DTSA. For claimants, these measures can halt further disclosure and preserve evidence before harm becomes irreversible.
Our litigators work closely with clients who own the trade secrets at issue and with forensic specialists to determine how information was accessed and used, assess the scope of exposure, and evaluate the remedies available, including injunctive relief, damages, and, where misappropriation was willful and malicious, exemplary damages and attorneys' fees. For clients accused of misappropriation, we build rigorous, fact-based defenses that test the trade secret status of the information, the adequacy of the other side's protective measures, and the merits of the claim. Throughout, we bring the same technical grounding that defines our counseling work, because understanding the information at issue is what allows us to investigate effectively and explain it clearly to a court.
