Michael P. Avila
Partner and Co-Chair, Financial Services Group
Overview
Michael Avila is an international employment and trade secrets attorney and Co-Chair of the Financial Services Industry Group. Working with business interests around the globe, Mike routinely litigates and advises on issues surrounding trade secret business information and restrictive covenant agreements. His practice also includes domestic and cross-border employment litigation, counseling, and internal investigations. Further, Mike regularly leverages his counseling and litigation experience to conduct pre-acquisition due diligence and negotiations surrounding human capital matters, in the context of mergers and acquisitions.
Trade Secrets, Restrictive Covenants, and Unfair Competition
Mike has prosecuted and opposed numerous matters involving emergency applications for injunctive relief, including temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions. He has litigated such matters in dozens of U.S. states, as well as in jurisdictions across the Americas and the EMEA region. These cases typically concern the misappropriation of trade secrets, covenants not to compete, non-disclosure agreements, and claims of unfair competition.
Along with his litigation practice, Mike assists clients with drafting restrictive covenants and developing programs to protect their competitive assets against employee defections. He also helps clients analyze and negotiate restrictive covenants and executive employment agreements in connection with mergers and acquisitions.
International Counseling and Litigation
Mike regularly helps clients navigate employment disputes on a national and international basis, including throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. These matters include claims of breach of contract, discrimination, and wage payment violations.
Mike also counsels U.S. employers concerning the legal implications of hiring and managing employees internationally, including in some of the world’s most challenging legal jurisdictions. This includes helping employers navigate workplace realities outside of the U.S. and developing jurisdiction-specific policy, contract, and wage-payment regimes.
In addition, clients frequently call upon Mike to lead domestic and cross-border investigations surrounding internal employee complaints and whistleblowing scenarios.
Representative Clients
Mike enjoys representing clients of all sizes and structures, from early-stage ventures to publicly traded companies. His industry experience includes life sciences, insurance, financial services, commercial software, healthcare, and government contractors, including for-profit and non-profit international NGOs.