Michael P. Avila

Michael Avila is an international employment and trade secrets attorney. Working with employers around the globe, Mike routinely advises on trade secrets protection strategies and restrictive covenant agreements. His practice also includes domestic and cross-border employment litigation and counseling.

Trade Secrets, Restrictive Covenants, and Unfair Competition

In connection with his trade secrets and restrictive covenants practice, 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 various 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 other forms of unfair competition.

Mike also represents a number of financial services clients in Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration matters, involving trade secret and restrictive covenant disputes.

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 develop risk mitigation strategies in connection with the recruitment of key talent from the competition.

International Employment Counseling and Litigation

Mike also litigates 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.

In connection with his international litigation practice, Mike 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. Mike also frequently conducts cross-border internal investigations surrounding internal employee complaints and whistleblowing.

Representative Clients

Mike enjoys representing clients of all sizes and structures, from early-stage ventures to publicly traded companies. His clients include life sciences companies, broker-dealers, private equity groups, and government contractors, including for-profit and non-profit International NGOs. His industry experience includes securities and banking, healthcare and life sciences, enterprise software, architecture, and infrastructure maintenance.