What if I told you that it was possible to get a general feeling as to what a jury would do with your case in the space of a day or two prior to dedicating several weeks and lots of money to a trial? You’d probably want to know more. Lawyers use mock trials
Inevitably whenever I talk with a client there is always the discussion about attorneys’ fees and how to get the other side to pay them. The unfortunate reality is there are very limited circumstances where attorneys’ fees are recoverable. The US has the “American Rule” which generally means that each party pays their fees.
Imagine you are int he courtroom with your lawyer in a trade secret lawsuit. Your company is accused of stealing trade secrets from a competitor. Then imagine the Judge tells you you have to leave the courtroom because the other side does not want yout to hear what its trade secrets are. This issue (though
We’ve discussed the inevitable disclosure doctrine in previous posts. It’s a powerful claim and whether adoption of the uniform trade secrets act makes it viable in Texas remains to be seen. What is it? Assume that in your prior job you were exposed to certain trade secrets of your employer that you would “inevitably”
Last week I had the privilege of speaking and attending the Texas Non-Compete Camp put on by UT LAW CLE and Mike Maslanka. There were a number of great lawyers there addressing topics ranging from whether to sue the new employer of a former employee to ethical considerations of representing both the employee and employer.
For the last few months I’ve been involved in a number of temporary restraining order/preliminary injunction cases in state and federal courts in a number of different industries/professions. Some general reminders/lessons from non-compete/non-solicit fights:
A few years ago there was much discussion about the use of social media evidence in lawsuits. The use continues and ranges from criminal prosecutions through non-compete disputes. It’s amazing what will people will put in the public domain and gives social media can provide strong, sometimes permanent, information about whereabouts, communications, and even
Frequently when I counsel a minority shareholder about their rights I tell them what they already know – “they are along for the ride”. What does that mean? That as long as the other (controlling) shareholders don’t violate the law or their shareholder agreements, there is little a minority shareholder can do about it.
If you have some time, come on down to this Friday’s Dallas Bar Trial Skills Section meeting at noon in the Belo Mansion. I will be moderating a panel on expert witness practice. We have a great group including lawyers Alicia Curran, Don Swain, Jason Copling, and expert Karl Weisheit.
Parties to lawsuits sometimes try to seek solace in the fact that the ongoing attorneys’ fees they are paying will be recoverable at the end of their case. The reality of the situation is that just because an attorneys’ fees claim is proper does not mean those fees will ultimately be recoverable. In most