Williams & Connolly

Firm overview:

Based in Washington, DC, Williams & Connolly was founded in 1967 by “legendary” trial lawyer Edward Bennett Williams. Like its founder, the full-service firm has continued to attract high-profile clients, which now include major global companies from virtually every sector.

Williams & Connolly is widely recognised as among the US legal elite, with a respected Supreme Court and Appellate practice and a policy of hiring top-class lawyers who routinely handle significant and complex civil, criminal, and administrative cases across the US and internationally. The firm is known particularly for its work in the healthcare and consumer industries.

Its intellectual property practice pulls its weight amply within a long list of practice areas, and is recognised for its ability to take cases to trial.

Team overview:

Williams & Connolly’s Unfair Competition, Trade Secrets and Restrictive Covenants practice group represents companies and individuals on unfair competition lawsuits and related claims.

Its deep bench of lawyers represent clients in allegations of misappropriation or improper disclosure of trade secrets and confidential information, breaches of non-competition, non-solicitation, non-disclosure and other restrictive covenants. Other advice includes on misuse or infringement of intellectual property by competitors, breaches of fiduciary duties, tortious interference with customer or employment contracts, and improper hiring practices, including “raiding”.

Co-chairs of the group are litigators Daniel Shanahan and Bryan Wilson. Both have been recent speakers at the Sedona Conference Working Group 12 Annual Meeting.

Shanahan focuses on complex civil and criminal litigation and has successfully represented clients in trial and appellate courtrooms throughout the US. His practice spans a wide range of substantive areas including trade secret litigation, patent litigation, legal malpractice defence, and more.

Wilson tries complex commercial matters throughout the US for both plaintiffs and defendants. Among his key matters, including several that went to trial or arbitral hearing, are allegations of breach of contract, deceptive trade practices, theft of trade secrets and   copyright infringement.

Key matters:

• Motive Technologies v Samsara, Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, 2024

Williams & Connolly attorneys, Joseph Petrosinelli, Bryan Wilson and Jack Danan acted as co-counsel for plaintiff Motive Technologies, in its complaint against defendant Samsara, in claims of patent infringement, fraud, false advertising under the Lanham Act, unfair competition through deceit and fraud, defamation, and theft of Motive’s trade secrets.

The disagreement between Samsara and Motive features complex claims and counter claims over AI tracking and dashcam technology to improve the safety and efficiency of America’s truck transportation industry.

• Williams & Connolly acted as lead defence trial counsel for a global medical company in state court in Wilmington, Delaware, in a commercial dispute involving contract and trade secrets claims in excess of $400 million. After summary judgment for the client on the trade secrets claims, the jury returned a defence verdict on the contract claims.
• Williams & Connolly successfully tried to verdict a case on behalf of a major electronics company in which a competitor sought in excess of $450 million claiming misappropriation of advanced interconnection technology.

Clients:

Motive Technologies