——— San Francisco • Los Angeles • Lake Tahoe/Northern California ———
Our attorneys have deep backgrounds in a broad range of litigation in state and federal courts throughout the country.
We invite you to explore our diverse set of practice areas where we have obtained extraordinary results for our clients:
Employment / Non-Compete Litigation
Employers’ obligations and employees’ rights are governed by a complex plethora of statutes, regulations, ordinances, and cases, and California law is typically more favorable of employees than federal law. Successful employment litigation requires attorneys who are familiar with these nuances and the complicated regulatory structure that governs the employer/employee relationship.
The attorneys at Colt Legal Group have extensive experience litigating claims involving non-compete agreements, trade-secret misappropriation, sexual and racial harassment, sex and disability discrimination, whistle-blower retaliation, and wage and hour claims on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants.
Our most active field of employment litigation centers on the enforcement (and invalidation) of non-compete agreements. In California, unlike most other jurisdictions, non-compete agreements are void as a matter of public policy. While this generally provides certainty for in-state employees, complicated issues arise when California-based employers seek to hire employees from other states, or seek to employ employees in other states.
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Our firm has obtained extraordinary results where California law was applied to prohibit the enforcement of non-compete agreements outside the state of California, even for employees who reside out-of-state.
We offer advice and counseling on any aspect of the employer-employee relationship, including hiring practices, personnel policies, compensation issues and layoffs and terminations. We are familiar with all major employment laws, including the California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”), the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (“ADEA”), the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”), the California Family Rights Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FSLA”), the Public Records Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (“OSHA”), and many others.
Our attorneys have successfully handled a wide variety of suits involving both state and federal law. We have represented employment clients in court and before government agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (“DFEH”), the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, and the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.
Practice Areas
Trade-Secret Litigation
Trade-secret litigation is the firm's busiest practice area. Throughout the country, we regularly defend companies and individuals accused of misappropriating confidential and proprietary information.
Trade-secret cases are highly fact specific and we quickly immerse ourselves in our clients' technology and business to formulate the best defense to misappropriation claims. Successful trade-secret litigation also requires a keen understanding of the rapid-fire procedural rules that apply in such cases. We regularly respond to emergency motions for Temporary Restraining Orders, where a defendant may have only hours to defend against an initial lawsuit. Only attorneys with deep experience in this field can respond effectively on such a short timetable.
We focus our trade-secret practice on three key areas:
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Defense and Prosecution of Misappropriation Claims
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Information Security and Data Protection
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E-Discovery and electronic evidence.
With our comprehensive knowledge of this unique practice area, we manage cases far more efficiently than other firms not experienced in this difficult type of litigation. This translates to lower bills, faster time-to-trial, and better results for our clients.
Copyright/Trademark Litigation
In conjunction with our trade-secret practice, the firm's expertise in intellectual property litigation includes extensive experience with copyright and trademark litigation. These types of suits often involve the same type of rapid-fire response to temporary restraining orders and emergency case handling to avoid costly and damaging preliminary injunctions. We have successfully defended scores of copyright and trademark claims throughout California and the United States.
Unfair Competition / False Advertising
California and federal law protect against various forms of unfair competition. California’s Unfair Competition Law (UCL), one of the broadest in the country, prohibits unfair, unlawful and fraudulent business acts, which are loosely and expansively defined. The UCL also protects against false advertising. The incredible breadth of California's Unfair Competition statutes produces a hornet's nest of potential liability and an easy avenue for plaintiffs' attorneys to inflate the potential value of a case from the outset. Our attorneys have extensive experience in defending such suits and quickly culling down the potential damages from such claims.
Business Litigation
Our lawyers have extensive experience litigating a variety of complex commercial cases with outstanding results for both plaintiffs and defendants.
We have represented clients in disputes with competitors, vendors, customers, shareholders and business partners. We have represented plaintiffs and defendants in cases alleging breach of contract and warranty, fraud, false advertising, unfair competition, breach of fiduciary duty, interference with economic relationships, trade libel and more. We have successfully handled dozens of disputes in which the amount at stake exceeded $10 million.