Melanie Harris is senior counsel at Ice Miller, and is a member of Ice Miller's Business Litigation Group. She focuses on litigating business disputes, and drafting and enforcing restrictive covenants and confidentiality agreements in the employment, sale of business and business-to-business contexts.  She also advises clients on litigation avoidance, competitive business issues and strategies to protect their business interests.  For example, Ms. Harris's experience includes the following:

• Representing clients in litigated business disputes, especially in connection with breach of contract issues;
• Obtaining (and defeating requests for) emergency injunctive relief in trade secrets, non-competition, non-solicitation and other disputes;
• Building contractual programs for clients to protect their valuable assets, including drafting non-competition, non-solicitation, non-disclosure and other agreements to protect clients' trade secrets, confidential information, customer relationships and other proprietary interests (employment, sale of business and other contexts);
• Designing information protection programs, including trade secret, internet and social networking policies;
• Assessing the risks and benefits associated with employees' use of social networking and other technology, especially as it relates to information protection, non-solicitation and non-competition; and 
• Assisting clients in minimizing the risks and potential liability associated with hiring employees of a competitor; and providing similar risk management services in the non-competition, non-solicitation and trade secret contexts.

Ms. Harris has experience in a wide variety of industries, including manufacturing; financial services; software/technology; life sciences; consulting; transportation, distribution and logistics; and other professional services industries.  She is a frequent lecturer on trade secrets, non-competition, non-solicitation and social networking issues.
 
Background:

• Bachelor of Arts in English Composition from DePauw University
• Juris Doctorate, University of Pittsburgh School of Law  (magna cum laude; Order of the Coif; managing editor of University of Pittsburgh Law Review)
• Licensed to practice in the State of Indiana
• Board member, Little Red Door Cancer Agency