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- Category: Business Services
Every company in every industry realizes that their information, methods, formulae, programs and other proprietary materials give them a competitive advantage in the marketplace. What makes these companies competitive cannot always be protected by patent or copyright law. We have helped many companies identify and protect these valuable trade secret assets. We also help these companies create employment policies and draft appropriate employment contracts to better protect confidential information. We have helped our clients protect their trade secrets in a wide range of industries, including:
- Electronics
- Computer software
- Manufacturing
- Consumer products
We also have significant experience in litigation involving trade secret matters, including pursuing TRO’s, injunctive relief and money damages.
If you would like to speak to one of our attorneys regarding litigation on any trade secret matter, please contact
Representative Matters
- Pursued and obtained a TRO, a temporary injunction, and then a permanent injunction against a client’s competitor relative to an estimating software, resulting in a significant monetary settlement for the client.
- Counseled clients on better protecting their trade secret assets, including enforcement of contracts relative to confidential information.
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- Category: Business Services
Our reinsurance attorneys represent primarily reinsurers and retrocessionaires across all lines of reinsurance. We have extensive experience in litigation and arbitration as well as innovative approaches toward mediated dispute resolution.
In addition to contentious matters, we also have extensive experience in treaty and certificate drafting, pooling and fronting arrangements, and commutations and insolvencies, including ancillary proceedings. Complementing our experience is a significant grounding in finite risk or financial reinsurance. Our representative clients include some of the world’s top reinsurers and retrocessionaires.
Aside from evaluating claims and proofs of loss that have been submitted to our clients and keeping our clients abreast of pertinent legal developments, our most recent assignments have included the following:
- Analysis of the "follow the fortunes" doctrine as interpreted by American courts to enable clients to assess the scope of reinsurance risk.
- Redrafting of treaty wordings in conjunction with both underwriters and claims staff.
- Arbitration of disputes concerning non-conforming cessions, cross-treaty set-offs, extra-contractual obligations and contractual rescission.
- Litigation of claims against the reinsurer based on alleged impropriety of the cedant’s conduct and prosecution of cases against the intermediary and the cedant based on the "Pritchard & Baird" clause.
- Self-insurance reciprocal risk pooling.
- Governmental reinsurance
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- Category: Business Services
Querrey & Harrow’s Real Estate Group provides a range of legal services related to real estate: acquisition, sales, leases, loan documentation, zoning, condemnation, and foreclosures.
Querrey & Harrow’s clients include developers, lenders, property owners, title insurance companies, and municipal corporations. Querrey & Harrow represents commercial, industrial and residential developers including developers of affordable housing tax credit projects. The firm has represented both lenders and borrowers in secured commercial real estate loans. The firm represents developers, owners or associations in condominium disputes.
Representative Matters
- Drafted and negotiated lease regarding portions of a school for placement of a billboard
- Prepared liens on public funds and handled construction disputes involving leases on public property
- Drafted contracts for the sale and/or purchase and assisted client with due diligence
- Advised and assisted clients with like-kind exchanges (1031 exchanges and reverse exchanges)
- Negotiated sales and/or purchases of $2-$7 million commercial real estate
- Represented Park District in the acquisition of sites for expansion of its facility
- Represented a property owner in connection with the sale and acquisition of investment property and facilitated the reverse starker transaction in order to defer taxable gain
- Participating in zoning and use variance proceedings and obtaining special title insurance endorsements
- Represented the seller of office buildings in Batavia, Bourbonnais, Crystal Lake, Forest Park, Gurnee, Hyde Park, Machesney Park, Moline, Mt. Prospect, Naperville, Niles, Schaumburg, Vernon Hills and Westmont, Illinois, among others
- Represented the buyer of 7.24 acre parcel of industrial land in Chicago
- Negotiated on behalf of a merchants/downtown improvement association a Special Service Area No. One Agreement with the City of Chicago
- Represented the seller of 3 adjacent parcels in Chicago, including rezoning of one to "legalize" an efficiency apartment installed in the 1960's
- Property tax exemption applications based on governmental exemption
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- Category: Business Services
Querrey & Harrow serves the intellectual property needs of business and also provides audit services to ensure that trademarks and trade secrets are protected. Specifically, our attorneys counsel businesses in the many different methods for financing the development of Intellectual Property assets such as:
- Angel Agreements
- Venture Capital
- Strategic Alliances
- Joint Ventures
- Partnerships
- Secured Transactions
- Technology Escrow Agreements
- Asset Management
Businesses are challenged by rapid innovation, fierce competition and virtually instant global communication. In this business climate, our clients benefit from sure-handed programs designed to protect their Intellectual Property assets, such as:
- Strategic Planning for Procuring and Extracting Value from Intellectual Capital
- Employee Patent Incentive Programs
- Trade Secret Protection Programs
- Branding Strategies and Trademark Programs
- Intellectual Property Portfolio Management
- Intellectual Property Licensing Strategies and Tactic
- Intellectual Property Risk Management
- Patent Strategies
- Employee Agreements for Assignment of Intellectual Property Rights
- Procedures for Unsolicited Submissions
- Non-Disclosure and Confidentiality Agreements and Procedures
- Trademark Usage Guidelines
- Enforcing and Defending Intellectual Property Rights
- "Content" License Agreements · Intellectual Property "Due Diligence"
Litigation and Enforcement
We have substantial experience in complex litigation and have served organizations nationwide on matters involving actual or potential patent infringement, trade secrets, trademark infringement, copyright infringement and unfair trade practices. Our attorneys have helped clients in:
- Developing Enforcement and Defense Strategies for Intellectual Property Rights
- Patent Infringement
- Trade Secrets Litigation
- Trademark Infringement and Dilution
- Unfair Competition and Deceptive Practices
- Copyright Infringement
- Information and Other Critical Technologies Litigation
Licensing
Licensing, purchase, and sale of Intellectual Property rights offers income stream opportunities and encourages industry growth. Our attorneys handle transactions including:
- Patent, Trade Secret and Know-How Licenses
- Software Licenses
- Trademark Licenses
- Copyright Licenses and Permissions
- Computing and Communications Systems Procurement
- Assignments of Intellectual Property Rights
- Website Consulting and Developing Agreements
- Software Development Agreements
- IT Consulting Agreements
- Hardware and Software Distribution Contracts
- IP "Due Diligence" for Acquisitions, Mergers and Financings
- Policies and Procedures for Dealing with Unsolicited Submissions
Trademarks
We counsel clients in choosing, registering, maintaining and protecting their trademarks. The following is a sample of the services offered:
- Trademark and Domain Name Clearance
- Trademark and Trade Dress Counseling, Registration, Licensing and Litigation
- False Advertising/Unfair Competition Litigation
- Distribution and Dealership Agreements and Disputes
- Licensing
- Purchase and Sales of Trademarks
- Financing the Development of Trademarks
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- Category: Business Services
Querrey & Harrow's Insurance Coverage attorneys represent national and international insurance and reinsurance companies in coverage disputes and other insurance related matters. They provide policy drafting capabilities as well as written opinions and analysis of insurance coverage and insurance related issues. If litigation becomes necessary, our attorneys are prepared to defend or prosecute claims for bad faith against insurers or claims involving issues between primary and excess insurers.
These attorneys are experienced in both prosecuting and defending declaratory judgment actions involving all aspects of insurance coverage and other insurance related actions. They have extensive insurance contract experience in the following areas:
- agents' and brokers' liability
- primary and excess relations
- comprehensive general liability
- contingency insurance
- directors and officers
- professional liability
- environmental
- product liability
- errors and omissions
- property
- excess and surplus lines
- employers liability
- reinsurance
- personal injury
- transportation
- automobile
- fiduciary liability
- marine
- homeowners
- information technology
- commercial crime policies
- multi-risk
- fidelity and surety bonds
- inland marine