Education

University of Virginia School of Law, J.D.
U.S. Army Military Intelligence School, Tactical Intelligence
Harvard College, B.A., magna cum laude

Bar Admissions

Massachusetts

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Paul Lannon

Partner
Boston
t: 617-573-5842

Paul G. Lannon, Jr. is a partner in the Litigation Section and a member of the firm's national Labor & Employment, Education and Energy Practice Groups and is Chair of the Non-Competition, Trade Secrets and Employee Defection team. Mr. Lannon represents public and private companies in complex civil litigation, counsels businesses on asset protection and workplace issues, and advocates for management in employment disputes. Mr. Lannon also serves as the outside general counsel for several private colleges and secondary schools in New England. His experience includes successful trials, appeals, arbitrations and mediations, locally and nationally. He has twice argued First Amendment principles before the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, and he has defended the U.S. Bobsled Team in Olympic arbitration. Mr. Lannon is also accomplished in representing energy services companies before state and federal agencies. In one of the first major federal cases after 9/11, he successfully argued to re-open the Port of Boston to supertanker traffic. Mr. Lannon served as a special Assistant District Attorney and also defends professionals in malpractice and disciplinary actions.

Mr. Lannon regularly defends companies from unfair competition, improper solicitation of customers and employees, and unauthorized disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information across the country. He is national trial counsel on non-competition disputes for large healthcare and insurance companies. His noncompete work includes drafting multi-state agreements and developing company-wide asset protection policies. Beyond unfair competition, Mr. Lannon advises employers on a broad range of employment matters, including asset protection, acquisitions and divestitures, human resource policies, wage and hour, reductions in force, executive contracts, leaves, severance, investigations, terminations, relocations and preventative training. He also regularly represents management in discrimination and other workplace disputes in state and federal courts and administrative agencies. Mr. Lannon is a frequent writer and presenter on employment law issues.

In addition, Mr. Lannon devotes a large part of his practice to advising private educational institutions on a broad range of matters, including tenure disputes, campus security, student discipline, policies and handbooks, governance, Title IV compliance, regulatory issues, intellectual property, admissions, vendor and faculty contracts, change in control, and preventative training. United Educators, the preeminent insurer in higher education, named Mr. Lannon a Select Counsel for the defense of secondary and post-secondary institutions. He has written and presented widely on education matters.

Mr. Lannon clerked for the Honorable Joseph R. Nolan, Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts (1992-93).

Professional Honors & Awards

  • The Best Lawyers in America
  • Massachusetts Super Lawyer
  • Massachusetts Super Lawyer Rising Star
  • Pro Bono All Star, Holland & Knight
  • Who's Who in American Law
  • Community Service Award, Boston Renaissance School
  • Community Service Award, Opening Doors For Children
  • Community Service Award, Victim Rights Law Center
  • Boston's Best Lawyers

Memberships

  • American Bar Association
  • Massachusetts Bar Association
  • National Association of College and University Attorneys, Planning Committee for 2008 Annual Conference
  • Journal of College and University Law, Editorial Board, 2004-07
  • Boston Bar Association, Co-Chair, College and University Section, 2004-06; Steering Committee Member
  • Boston Bar Journal, Editorial Board
  • Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation, Board of Trustees, 2002-07
  • Opening Doors for Children, Boston Coordinator
  • NCCJ, LeadBoston graduate, 2002
  • Reading Youth Lacrosse, Board of Directors

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. District Court for Massachusetts
  • All State Courts in Massachusetts
  • U.S. Appeals Court, First Circuit

Speaking Engagements

  • Legal and Ethical Issues Presented by FERPA and HIPAA, 2nd Annual Conference on Campus Safety, UMass Boston, June 25, 2008
  • Alternatives in Risk Management, NACUA Annual Conference, June 22, 2008
  • Sharing Student Health Information Under the New FERPA Proposed Rules, Melamedia LLC Teleconference, April 29, 2008
  • Update on Employment Laws Affecting Colleges and Universities as Employers, Meeting of the Boston Bar Association's College & University Law Section, January 2008
  • Military Leave: What You Need to know about USERRA, ERI Teleconference, March 7, 2006
  • Campus Security: Keeping the bad ones out and the good ones safe, NACUA Annual Conference, June 2005
  • Preventing Child Molestation by Student Interns, United Educators Teleconference, September 21, 2005

Published Articles & Books