Melissa Muro LaMere, Partner | Maslon LLP

Melissa Muro LaMere is an employment and business litigation attorney licensed to practice in California, Minnesota, and Arizona. She has extensive experience helping clients protect and grow their business in a competitive marketplace. Working out of both California and Maslon’s primary office in Minneapolis, Melissa focuses her practice on the full spectrum of employment counseling and litigation matters in addition to business disputes involving non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, trade secrets, business contracts and torts, and unfair competition and trade practices. Melissa also maintains a robust employment investigations practice. Her clients include multinational corporations, small businesses, and individuals, and she often serves as a trusted advisor in a wide variety of litigation matters in state and federal trial and appellate courts, arbitration, and mediation. Melissa previously served on the board of the Minnesota Infinity Project, an organization focused on gender disparity on the bench throughout the Eighth Circuit, and on the board of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association, for which she also served as the co-chair of the Judicial Endorsements Committee. In 2019, Melissa was appointed by Minnesota Governor Walz and Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Flanagan to the Commission on Judicial Selection. Before becoming an attorney, Melissa held various positions in the office of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar.

John Duffey, Partner | Maslon LLP

John Duffey represents clients in complex commercial litigation matters, with a particular emphasis on noncompete, trade secret, product liability, and corporate trust disputes. John helps clients navigate all stages of the litigation process and has significant experience representing large and small businesses in all forums: federal and state courts, arbitrations, and mediations. John earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. He earned his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. During law school, he served as editor-in chief of the University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform and was the recipient of the Jeffrey S. Lehman Legal Practice Award and the Sarah Honigman Memorial Award.

I. Protecting Confidential Information and Customer Relationships Through Restrictive Covenants | 2:00pm – 2:20pm

II. Adapting Noncompete and Covenant Strategies to a Rapidly Changing Legal Landscape | 2:20pm – 2:40pm

III. Practical Guidance from In-House and Litigation Perspectives on Drafting and Enforcement | 2:40pm – 3:00pm