If you have your own business, you know that you may have information that you possess that gives you an advantage over your competition. Obviously, this is knowledge that you will want to keep from your competitors. This is where a trade secret attorney comes into play. There are many advantages to hiring one.
Legal Protection
While trade secrets are protected on the state level, if they are used by someone after they steal them the crimes committed may fall under federal laws as well. An experienced attorney will know exactly what legal avenue to take against the offender. Since time is of the essence and filing in the wrong fashion can have your lawsuit rejected, it is crucial that you hire an attorney to do the work for you.
Protection From Employees
No matter how much you trust an employee, there is always the risk of them divulging information to a competitor. An attorney can help you draw up non-disclosure agreements that employees must honor or run the risk of being sued. If they leave the company, there is also a non-compete clause that can be placed into effect that has the same legal power. Both of these go a long way towards protecting your intellectual property.
Lawsuits
Many companies who are prone to steal information from their competitors will use the tactic of claiming they had the information before you. A trade secret attorney will already have records of when you came into possession of the information first as well as how it has been used in conjunction with the business.
