Foley Hoag

Firm overview:

Boston-headquartered Foley Hoag is “very highly regarded” by peers, with a “well-deserved reputation” in the market. The firm is home to a dedicated Patent, Trade Secrets and Related Rights Litigation Practice and is noted for its nuanced understanding of the intersection between intellectual property and employment law.

Foley Hoag’s trade secrets expertise spans a broad range of industries, from life sciences to sustainable building products, and the team is well versed in handling complex, high-stakes IP disputes. The firm advises clients on proactively protecting trade secrets through measures such as employee training programmes and internal audits, while also providing robust representation in contentious matters.

A hallmark of the practice is its strategic, outcome-driven approach to litigation, beginning with the careful and often lean construction of case teams to ensure deep subject-matter immersion and focus. The client base is equally diverse, ranging from individual executives accused of trade secret theft to large biotechnology companies facing allegations of IP misappropriation following collaborative ventures.

Team overview:

Foley Hoag’s Trade Secrets practice is led by seasoned partners Barbara Fiacco, Jeremy Younkin, Allison Anderson and Robert Haney.

Fiacco is described by peers as someone who “knows her stuff and is very good”. A first-chair patent and trade secrets litigator, she serves as co-chair of the firm’s IP department and co-chairs the Patent, Trade Secrets and Related Rights Litigation Practice. Her practice centres on representing life sciences companies and research institutes in complex IP disputes, and she is a frequent speaker on trade secrets-related issues. Fiacco is listed as a Recommended individual in these rankings.

As co-chair of the Patent, Trade Secrets and Related Rights Litigation Practice, Younkin brings extensive experience representing clients in federal and state courts, as well as before the International Trade Commission. Notable successes include securing a significant win for Sig Sauer in a trade secrets dispute concerning a firearm component, which concluded with the plaintiff voluntarily dismissing its complaint with prejudice.

Key matters:

• Alexion Pharmaceuticals v Amyndas Pharmaceuticals

Foley Hoag secured a court order requiring the plaintiff to specify alleged trade secrets with particularity before discovery began.

• BioPoint appeal victory (August 2024)

The firm prevailed on appeal of a multimillion-dollar verdict involving trade secret theft by a competing consulting firm, with the First Circuit upholding judgments and fee awards.

• Geneoscopy

Foley Hoag is representing Geneoscopy in a trade secret counterclaim in connection with RNA-based colorectal cancer testing litigation.

• Sig Sauer

The firm secured a complete victory and dismissal with prejudice in a dispute relating to firearm part trade secrets.

Clients:

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, BioPoint, CVS, Krystal Biotech, Sig Sauer