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CONCERN OVER PROTECTING TRADE SECRETS, AVOIDING FRAUD LEADS FIRMS TO HIRE PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS TO ASSIST THEM

Broward Daily Business Review Vol 49, No. 188 (September 5, 2008_ SPIES ON THE RISE : CONCERN OVER PROTECTING TRADE SECRETS, AVOIDING FRAUD LEADS FIRMS TO HIRE PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS TO ASSIST THEM Tresa Baldas baldas0@yahoo.com A blend of advanced technology, increased litigation and rising fears about trade secrets theft and financial fraud is driving law firms and corporate counsel to the doors of former FBI agents and ex-prosecutors with a knack for solving crimes. These private investigators report calls for help from law firms and corporate general counsel have increased substantially in recent years. Attorneys are looking for assistance on a wide range of problems, including corporate espionage, intellectual property theft and workplace discrimination claims. At the core of many of these problems is a mountain of computer evidence too technical and too overwhelming for attorneys to dissect on their own, lawyers say. 'Most lawyers do not have the technological experience or the accounting expertise to do almost any of the stuff that these guys do,' said attorney Alan Brudner, head of litigation and investigations of the U.S. division of UBS Investment Bank, a subsidiary of Swiss financial services firm UBS. Brudner said his reliance on former federal agents has grown in recent years. In his 13 years with UBS, he's gone from calling on private investigators only rarely to calling them once a month. He said that's largely the result of increased government regulation, investigations and inquiries into the banking industry. 'They're credible,' he said of the hired help. 'They've got experience. They know their way around the courthouse and understand how evidence is used and presented in court. There's always a value in talking to these guys.'

Full post as published by The Trade Secrets Vault on September 28, 2008 (boomark / email).