Even when the goals and vision for a company are in perfect alignment, there is no guarantee that business partners, shareholders and key employees will continue to see eye to eye. When conflicts arise—whether from differences in personality or management styles or in anticipation of changes in control, generational succession, major transactions, and other key business decisions—the consequences can be severe. In such disputes, swift and decisive action is necessary to protect the business or ownership rights to and in the business.
Our attorneys have extensive experience representing owners of closely held, family-owned, and other privately held businesses in a full range of disputes. Our strategy is straightforward: we work with our clients to identify goals, and when negotiation is not an option, we pursue our clients’ interests with the considerable tools in our arsenal. We have represented individuals, families, and investors in a broad range of disputes involving issues such as oppression by majority shareholders of minority shareholders, breach of fiduciary duties, usurpation of corporate opportunities, and breach of partnership, shareholder, and employment agreements, as well as the enforcement and defense of restrictive covenants and covenants not to compete, among others. In such matters, we regularly represent clients in jury and bench trials and at preliminary injunction hearings, in federal and state court, as well as and in arbitration and mediation proceedings.
For most companies, confidential information, client lists, and investment in human capital are the lifeblood of their enterprise. When departing employees attempt to recruit their former employee’s key personnel or customers in violation of non-compete clauses of employment agreements, we act swiftly to enforce our clients’ rights, including obtaining temporary restraining orders and injunctions and pursuing redress in court. We also represent former employees and their new employers who find themselves subject to litigation by former employers attempting to enforce non-compete clauses in employment contracts, or who claim that the subsequent company’s hire of the employee is in violation of an existing restrictive covenant.
