E-Discovery & Information Management

Washington, D.C.-based partner and co-chair of Crowell & Moring’s E-Discovery & Information Management Group, Jeane A. Thomas, is quoted in Legaltech News discussing the challenges multinational corporations face when navigating through different discovery processes between the United States and the European Union. Thomas said, "In the United States, civil litigation discovery is extraordinarily broad" and "in the EU, by contrast, civil law countries have very limited discovery and disclosure obligations."

Washington, D.C.-based partner and co-chair of Crowell & Moring's E-Discovery & Information Management Group, Jeane A. Thomas, is quoted in Legaltech News discussing the challenges corporations face when preserving data and tips on how they can effectively manage perseveration. Thomas noted the importance of communication and how the general messaging of the preservation process must be honed considerably in regards to frequent custodians. "I would add flexible to the list of adjectives that are necessary to communications. There is good reason to automate some of the legal hold processes, but there's still a role for direct communication with key custodians, to make sure of and understand their obligations," Thomas said.

Brussels-based Intellectual Property partner Flip Petillion was mentioned for his role in imploring the European Commission to access the ".sucks" top-level domain registry pricing practices. Petillion notes the registry's refusal to publish the registry earlier created uncertainty for trademark owners and forced them to register during the sunrise period.

Newly elected Crowell & Moring chair Angela B. Styles, partner and co-chair of the Government Contracts Group, is profiled by The National Law Journal. Styles discusses her childhood, past experience in both the federal government and private practice, and how she arrived at Crowell & Moring. When referring to the firm's visions for the firm's future, Styles notes that she plans "not growing for growth's sake," and hopes to strengthen practices such as cybersecurity and health care while maintaining the firm's government contracts, regulatory, and litigation reputation.  

Newly-elected chair of Crowell & Moring, Angela B. Styles, is featured in The Washington Post's "Capital Business" section after assuming her new role. The article notes that Styles, who joined the firm in 2007, is the second woman to serve as chair in firm history. "I am honored to serve as chair of Crowell & Moring and to be part of a long tradition of firm leaders who have helped to build a truly unique firm over the past 35 years," Styles said.

The National Law Journal reports the news that Angela Styles, partner and co-chair of Crowell & Moring's Government Contracts Group, has been elected as the firm's new chair. Referring to her predecessor, Kent A. Gardiner, who stepped down due to term limits, Styles notes: "It's a pretty good foundation I have to start with. I'm sure I will change some things. But we're at such a good place right now, we just need to keep thinking forward," she said.

Washington, D.C.-based partner and co-chair of the firm's e-Discovery & Information Management Group, David D. Cross, tells Law360 about working with Judge Paul W. Grimm, who has recently been appointed one of the newest federal judges on the Maryland federal bench. Cross, who is familiar with Grimm's 16 years of experience as a magistrate judge, sheds light on Grimm's well-regarded reputation. When Judge Grimm wants to address something, "his decisions are written like law review articles," Cross says. "He makes his opinions very useful beyond the confines of his own case."

Washington, D.C.-based Antitrust Group associate, Adrian Fontecilla, discusses the myriad of legal issues posed by the use of social media after a Massachusetts teen was arrested for posting violent lyrics on his Facebook page in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings. Fontecilla notes, "The risk that social media creates for its users is that they tend to be as informal and prolific in their social media posts as they would be in private conversations. Because comments made publicly on social media are shared with a wider audience than just the author's friends and family, they can take new and unintended meanings."

Crowell & Moring is listed among 17 firms that received praise from corporate counsel for improving their client focus in the BTI Client Service A-Team 2012 report by the BTI Consulting Group Inc.

According to the article, “While many firms have been increasing their emphasis on client service to remain competitive, a few made strong pushes toward more in-person meetings, satisfaction surveys and follow-up calls this year, earning them the designation of most improved in a new survey of corporate counsel.”

Washington, D.C.-based Litigation Group partner and Trade Secrets team member Michael J. Songer was photographed with McGuire Woods co-counsel in America Lawyer for their successful trial strategy in a trade secrets lawsuit that secured a $920 million jury verdict for client DuPont.  The case against Kolon Industries Inc. was over DuPont’s Kevlar brand body armor product.

According the article, “Songer’s team uncovered a document suggesting that defendant Kolon Industries, Inc., was withholding evidence.”

Washington, D.C.-based Litigation Group partner and Trade Secrets team member Michael J. Songer speaks to Intellectual Property Law360 about the successful trial strategy that secured a $920 million jury verdict for Crowell & Moring client DuPont in a heated trade secret case with rival Kolon Industries Inc. over DuPont's Kevlar brand body armor product. The joint efforts between McGuireWoods and Crowell & Moring resulted in one of the largest jury verdicts ever reached in the Eastern District of Virginia.

According to Songer, "We chose the unjust enrichment theory, that Kolon had avoided the expense of doing their own research and development. Then we had to demonstrate the amount of research that had gone into DuPont's technology over the years."

On the heels of a trade secrets theft win for client DuPont Co. against Kolon Industries Inc., Crowell & Moring’s Trade Secrets team talks about the important steps manufacturers should take to reduce their vulnerability to information security leaks.

According to partner Michael J. Songer, manufacturers should take the following measures to protect their intellectual property: secure their computers but don't hinder employee productivity; protect sensitive information with technology that limits employee access to particular files; and make their expectations clear regarding private information upon an employee's exit.

Washington, D.C.-based Litigation Group partner and Trade Secrets team member Michael J. Songer speaks with Managing Intellectual Property about the importance of trade secrets protection in this new age of an information society. Songer highlights how companies must be committed to protecting their R&D by seeing litigation through and also take the necessary steps with departing employees.

According to Songer, “recent high-profile trade secrets cases in the US have created more awareness among the general public about the importance of trade secrets to companies.”

Washington, D.C.-based Litigation Group partner and Trade Secrets team member Michael J. Songer, and McGuireWoods co-counsel, are featured in The AmLaw Litigation Daily’s, "Litigators of the Week." On September 14, 2011, Songer and co-counsel obtained a successful $919.9 million verdict for DuPont in a trade secrets theft case involving the company’s Kevlar product. The jury awarded DuPont $919.9 million in this case.

Crowell & Moring’s Trade Secrets Group is highlighted in IP Law360 as co-counsel for DuPont in their $919 million win against Kolon Industries.

According to DuPont Senior Vice President and general counsel Thomas L. Sager, “The size of this award is one of the largest in defense of business processes and technologies.”

Crowell & Moring LLP E-Discovery and Information Management Group counsel David D. Cross is featured for his comments on the importance of electronic data in intellectual property cases.

Crowell & Moring LLP partner and chair of the firm’s E-Discovery & Information Management Group, Jeane A. Thomas, is featured for her comments on new, discoverable, electronically stored information (ESI) as a result of instant messaging (IM), Facebook , Twitter, and other social networking sites.

Crowell & Moring counsel Justin P. Murphy, member of the firm’s White Collar & Securities Litigation Group and E-Discovery practice, is featured for his comments on e-discovery in the realm of criminal and civil investigations.