Joseph E. Schuler

Joseph E. Schuler is a principal in the Washington, D.C. Region office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He has litigated claims for breach of non-competition agreements, theft of trade secrets, and/or breach of the duty of loyalty in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Joseph recently represented a publicly-traded real estate trust in a breach of trade secrets action against a former employee and start-up competitor backed by a national real-estate firm, resulting in a settlement that provided the client with a mid-six figure recovery and a non-compete agreement. Joseph has guided companies through internal and external “whistleblower” investigations, and secured summary decisions in several claims litigated under the employee-protection provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Joseph’s cases also include PADCO Advisors v. Omdahl, 179 F. Supp. 2d 600 (D. Md. 2002), in which he represented a former employee of a highly specialized mutual fund who left to work for one of two competitors nationwide, in alleged violation of a non-compete agreement specifically targeted at those two competitors, successfully defending against application of the “inevitable disclosure” doctrine under Maryland law and securing an order that permitted the employee to continue employment with his new employer subject to not soliciting former clients.

Honors and Recognitions

• The Best Lawyers in America©, “Employment Law – Management” (2023-present) and “Litigation – Labor and Employment” (2022-present)
• Martindale-Hubbell®, “AV Preeminent® - Peer Rated for Highest Level of Professional Excellence” (2000-present)
• Super Lawyers®, “Super Lawyer” (2014-2019)

Pro Bono and Community Involvement

• The Bollinger Foundation (educational opportunities for children who have lost a parent), Secretary and Director