Employment, D&O Liability, Transactional Disputes

The firm's employment law counseling and litigation practice draws on years of legal acumen acquired in major firms and in-house legal departments, as well as practical perspectives gained while working my way through college on a highway construction crew and in factories and hospitals.  I also served as HR and hiring partner in a large DC law firm.  

The practice encompasses employment contracts, non-compete clause enforcement, commission and wage/hour disputes, D&O liability, termination and other adverse employment action disputes, trade secret issues, whistleblower claims and the gamut of Title VII protections against harassment, retaliation, disparate treatment, hostile work environment and other age-, gender-, sexual orientation, disability- and race-based discrimination. 

The firm's transactional practice includes negotiating and litigating corporate divorces, asset and stock purchase agreements, and intellectual property licenses.  I also conduct internal investigations and represent officers and directors defending shareholder derivative and receivership actions.  

The matters below illustrate the challenging and often interrelated corporate governance, employment, and intellectual property issues within the firm's skillset.   

•Successful representation of publicly-traded corporation in sealed litigation against former general counsel claiming whistleblower status and threatening disclosure of alleged client confidences.   

•Successful trial and appellate affirmance of judgment awarding investment banking firm a multi-million dollar restructuring fee after performance of financial advisory services for major hotel’s difficult Chapter 11 bankruptcy.    

•Achieved summary judgment against FDIC receivership action asserting that directors & officers were personally liable for defaulted commercial real estate loans at closed bank; district court order upheld in large part on appeal. Several parallel representations of bank D&O’s defending FDIC receivership cases in federal courts throughout the Southeast, resulting in favorable settlements.     

•Successful resolution of U.S. Department of Justice civil FIRREA action challenging certain payment processor, online payday lender and other high-risk merchant relationships of community bank, as part of widely-reported Operation Choke Point. 

•Successfully arbitrated client’s claims of breach of advertising sales contract and corporate raiding claims against trade association client.  

•Internal investigation of publicly-traded corporation's alleged revenue recognition irregularities.    

•Successful resolution of claims following client's termination of CEO.    

•Succssful resolution of multi-forum litigation asserting breach of LLC operating agrement, employment agreements and theft of trade secret claims arising from dissolution of R&D joint venture. 

•Favorable resolution of suit asserting client's breach of teaming agreement for certain DOD contracts. 

•Extended secondment managing docket of employment and trade secret cases at former Mobil Oil Corporation