Faegre Drinker
Firm overview:
Full-service international firm Faegre Drinker operates 18 offices across the US, and two overseas (London and Shanghai). The firm was created in 2020, following the merger between Faegre Baker Daniels and Drinker Biddle & Reath.
Within its established Intellectual Property practice, the firm is known for its strong Employee Mobility & Restrictive Covenants practice, which assists businesses with the myriad issues associated with this area.
This includes drafting and advising on non-competition, non-solicitation and other forms of restrictive covenant agreements, as well as counselling on hiring and recruitment issues generally. The firm has a team of highly experienced lawyers ready to litigate on such issues when required, and respond on an emergency basis to obtain or defend against immediate injunctive relief.
Fortune 500 companies have turned to Faegre Drinker to assist them with safeguarding their most valuable IP, including high-tech trade secrets.
Team overview:
Within its Intellectual Property practice, the firm employs more than 40 professionals in its Trade Secrets and Noncompetes division, including highly ranked trial attorney Randall Kahnke, a partner at the firm. Kahnke’s authority on trade secrets-related matters has assisted clients in litigation across three continents. He has represented some of the world’s largest brands and secured multimillion-dollar verdicts at trial.
Partner Harmony Mappes co-leads the firm’s Trade secrets and Noncompete practice and has experience litigating disputes for both plaintiffs and defendants. Clients turn to her for her technical nous and sophisticated legal strategies.
Ranked this year as a ‘Recommended’ individual, partner Lauren Linderman focuses her practice on trade secret, non-compete and trademark litigation, as well as other commercial disputes. Recent successes include securing a complete defence verdict in a $100 million-plus trade secret misappropriation jury trial for client Coldwell Banker.
Key matters:
- Midwest MFG v Curt Manufacturing, South Dakota District Court, Case No. CV21-4216
In October 2024, a cross-office IP litigation team from Faegre Drinker obtained a complete defence verdict in a trade secrets case for Lippert subsidiary Curt Group. Midwest had argued for millions on its claims of trade secrets misappropriation, breach of an NDA and tortious interference, inter alia. After a four-day trial, the jury delivered a verdict in favour of Curt on all claims. The team included Jared Briant, Andrea Savageau, Stephen Osseiran and Theresa Tischer.
- Honeywell International v Vanderlande Industries, Case No. CA2021-12-114
Faegre Drinker attorneys won a significant jury verdict for Honeywell in 2023, securing multimillion-dollar damages following the client’s lawsuit against its competitor over tortious interference allegations.
Clients:
3M, Allianz, Boston Scientific Corporation, Cargill, CarVal, Curt Group, FICO, General Mills, Honeywell International, IBM, Target, Trystar, United Health Group.
