Russell Beck is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP and heads the firm's Trade Secret/Noncompete Task Force. He is a member of the General Commercial Litigation; Intellectual Property Litigation; Privacy, Security & Information Management; and Labor & Employment Practices and the Emerging Technologies Industry Team.
In addition to his twenty years of experience as a complex commercial and intellectual property litigator, Mr. Beck has had over a decade of experience as lead counsel on trade secret and noncompete matters, has authored the book, Negotiating, Drafting, and Enforcing Noncompetition Agreements and Related Restrictive Covenants (3rd ed., MCLE, Inc., 2009), drafted the current bill pending before the Massachusetts House of Representatives to define, codify, and improve Massachusetts noncompetition law, and teaches Trade Secrets and Restrictive Covenants at Boston University School of Law.
His practice concentrates on complex commercial litigation, including high-tech and intellectual property matters, protection of trade secrets, enforcement and defense of non-competition agreements and related restrictive covenants, land use cases, and health care payor/provider disputes.
Mr. Beck's experience includes:
Lead counsel for corporate, high-tech, and individual clients in complex commercial litigation matters in state and federal court trials, arbitrations, mediations, and binding mediations, from pre-litigation through trial and appeal and settlement
Lead counsel for a broad range of clients on diverse matters, including enforcement and defense of non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, protection of trade secrets, contract disputes, copyright and trademark matters, false designation of origin claims, unfair competition claims, fraud and business torts, post-acquisition breach of contract disputes, breach of fiduciary duty claims, commercial lease disputes, and domestic and international jurisdiction and choice-of-law disputes
Lead counsel for healthcare clients in payor/provider disputes, member claims, contracting issues, responses to civil investigative demands, and alternative dispute resolution matters
Lead counsel for municipalities, individuals, and corporate clients in land use and development matters
Mediator and advocate in commercial disputes and intellectual property matters
Mr. Beck also writes and lectures frequently on various intellectual property and other legal issues, including enforcement and defense of non-compete agreements, protection of trade secrets, trademark disputes, copyright issues, arbitration, mediation, and binding mediation and is a former instructor in the Boston University Law School's First Year Writing Program.
Mr. Beck was selected for inclusion in the Massachusetts Super Lawyers lists, an honor received by only 5% of Massachusetts attorneys, in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. He is also AV rated (the highest rating available) by Martindale-Hubbell.
Mr. Beck earned his J.D. from Boston University (magna cum laude, 1989), where he was an editor of the Law Review. He also holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from Tufts University (1986).
Mr. Beck is admitted to practice in Massachusetts, New York, and New Hampshire. He is also admitted to appear before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First, Fourth, and Fifth Circuits; U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts; U.S. District Court, District of New Hampshire; U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York; and the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York. He is a member of the Boston Bar Association and the New Hampshire Bar Association.
Mr. Beck is a member of the Association for Conflict Resolution, New England Chapter; the Tufts University Lawyers Alumni Association; and the Tufts University Alumni Admission Program. Mr. Beck also serves as co-chair of Foley's Pro Bono Committee for the Boston office and is a member of Foley's National Pro Bono Committee.
Mr. Beck serves as an alternate member of the Town of Marblehead Planning Board.
Mr. Beck is a 2006 winner of Foley & Lardner's Carl H. Hitchner Mentor of the Year Award.