Many of the ingredients that go into being a great trial lawyer – tenacity, intelligence, the talent for storytelling, the ability to shift gears in an instant after months of preparation – don't necessarily guarantee long-term success.

The overwhelming majority of civil lawsuits in America, including high-stakes business disputes, settle.

"Tortious" interference with a prospective economic relationship occurs when a party improperly prevents two others from entering a contract or otherwise doing business together.

When employees' responsibilities give them access to confidential information, their departure to work for a competitor can endanger their former employer's trade secrets.

Federal law permits courts to order the U.S. Marshals to seize property from a defendant accused of stealing trade secrets, but only in "extraordinary circumstances."

The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Term yielded a number of cases substantially affecting business. Arbitration, environmental law, and COVID-19 vaccine mandates figured prominently.

Federal law creates several whistleblower programs that offer financial rewards for reporting fraud and other misconduct.

Aside from showing an injury that cannot be compensated through the payment of money damages, a plaintiff must also show that the "balance of hardships" favors issuance of the injunction.

While injunctions are often granted to remedy breaches of non-competes, courts do not issue them automatically.

Trade-secret claims can be filed under federal law, the Defend Trade Secrets Act, or state law, typically the Uniform Trade Secrets Act.

Tortious interference with a contract occurs when a party improperly disrupts a contractual relationship between other parties.

Trade-secret claims provide powerful remedies, but they can also present challenges for other types of claims that may arise from the same facts.

When developing a product or technology, companies must determine the best method to protect their intellectual property rights, whether through patent, copyright, trademark, or trade secret.

Employers often ask employees to enter non-competition agreements, or "non-competes," sometimes as a matter of course on the first day of employment.

Where a plaintiff files its trade-secret claim can impact its litigation strategy.

Trade secrets differ from other forms of intellectual property protection in several ways.

The first step in addressing the suspected theft is documenting who had access to the trade secret and when.

Unfair competition claims allow businesses and business owners to recover losses resulting from another's unfair, fraudulent, or deceptive business practices.

Companies frequently enter non-disclosure agreements, or "NDAs," to protect their trade secrets and other proprietary information.

There was no shortage of action on the Supreme Court's business docket this Term. The Court decided major cases on interstate commerce, intellectual property, and other topics affecting business.