BerlikLaw is a litigation firm at its core, but that doesn't mean we take every matter we handle to court. We are not only attorneys at law but "counselors at law," advising businesses and individuals alike on how to conduct their affairs without running into legal trouble. We recognize that time spent litigating cases in court is time that would probably be better put to use managing your business and generating revenue. If you do run into legal trouble, we explore all the options with you, including negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and litigation.
What kind of law do we practice? Scroll to the bottom of this page to find links to descriptions of the legal areas in which we spend most of our time. We are primarily known for our expertise in business litigation and defamation, but have obtained excellent results for our clients in a number of other areas of law as well.
Most law firms focus their practice on a few areas of strength, and we are no exception. Consequently, there are a number of areas of the law that we do not get involved in. If you're looking for a lawyer to help you with your divorce, or with a traffic ticket, or to help you defend against a criminal charge, we will gladly refer you to competent legal counsel, but we do not handle such matters ourselves. What we do handle is summarized below.
Business Litigation. Whether you're a business owner, investor, employee, or contractor, if you conduct business in the Commonwealth of Virginia, there's a strong likelihood you'll find yourself entangled in litigation at some point. Our business attorneys have been practicing law a long time, honing our expertise in helping businesses of all sizes resolve their disputes quickly and efficiently. We are intimately familiar with all local Virginia courts, including the Alexandria Division of the Eastern District of Virginia's "Rocket Docket" (our local federal courthouse), as well as the circuit courts of Fairfax County, Loudoun County, Arlington, and Alexandria.
Libel, Slander, and Defamation of Character. We won't fire off a cease-and-desist letter to anyone who criticizes you, hurts your feelings, or gives your business a one-star review on Yelp. With increasing frequency, however, due in no small part to the proliferation of blogs, social media, and other informal publishing platforms, defamatory statements are being made about others that don't just sting, but that cause real harm. False allegations about a person or business that damage reputation can be actionable in court as defamation. If the defamation is online or in print, we call it libel. It defamatory statements are spoken orally, we call it slander. Either way, your reputation is your most important asset, and if it has been unfairly attacked, you need to take action to protect it. Lee Berlik, author of The Virginia Defamation Law Blog, has countless hours of experience assisting clients in removing defamatory material from the Internet and in pursuing damages where necessary to repair damaged reputations.
Non-Compete and Non-Solicitation Agreements. Need a job but your former employer is refusing to release you from the noncompete agreement you signed several years ago? Or perhaps one of your former employees is threatening to move to a competitor and invite all of his co-workers to go along with him. Some noncompete and nonsolicitation agreements are not worth the paper they're written on. On the other hand, some are ironclad. Come to us to have your particular employment agreement analyzed or to receive advice with respect to keeping your top talent away from the competition.
Trade Secret Misappropriation. If your employees aren't bound by non-compete agreements, they will generally be free to compete with you, but that doesn't give them license to share your confidential, valuable trade secrets. Current and former employees should not be disclosing to anyone your confidential customer lists, pricing information, manufacturing processes, or product ideas. We help our clients protect whatever confidential, proprietary information they have that gives them a competitive business advantage, to assure it doesn't end up in the wrong hands.
For more about what we do, please refer to the list below.