Lewis Blair Harrington

Summary Blair represents employers in a broad range of litigated disputes and advising matters. She practices principally in the areas of: Employment litigation Employment counseling Restrictive covenants and trade secrets Commercial litigation Blairs practice is focused on her clients business needs in order to find the most effective solutions, whether inside or outside the courtroom. She represents clients in all stages of litigation in state and federal courts, as well as before state and federal agencies on a variety of employment disputes. She has significant experience representing employers against competitors in disputes involving non-competition and non-solicitation, trade secrets theft and unfair competition. Blair has also defended employers in numerous discrimination, retaliation and whistleblower suits, and worker classification disputes. Blair also litigates data privacy and information security cases, including defending class actions brought under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act and other privacy laws, and frequently handles other breach of contract disputes on behalf of businesses. In addition to her litigation practice, Blair routinely advises clients on day-to-day employment needs. She counsels clients on safeguarding proprietary information and trade secrets, reviews company policies regarding the preservation of confidential information, and drafts employment agreements and policies, including non-compete, non-solicit and confidentiality agreements. Blair also consults with clients on workplace issues including hiring, disciplining, termination and reasonable accommodation as well as compliance with applicable state and federal wage, hour and leave requirements. Blair earned her J. D. magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School and her B. A. cum laude from the University of Denver. Prior to joining Taft, Blair worked at a boutique business law firm focusing in the areas of employment and business litigation. Read More Awards Honoree, Best Lawyers® Ones to Watch (2022 - 2024) Honoree, Minnesota Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Employment Litigation: Defense (2021 - present) North Star Lawyer, Minnesota State Bar Association (2019 & 2020) All Service Areas All Practices Employment Law Employment and Labor Litigation Noncompete Agreements Commercial Litigation Privacy and Data Security Whistleblower/Retaliation Defense Biometric Privacy Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Organizations All Industries Technology and Artificial Intelligence Education University of Minnesota Law School (2014) magna cum laude University of Denver B. A., cum laude Admissions State - Minnesota State - Illinois Federal - District of Minnesota Federal - Northern District of Illinois Federal - Central District of Illinois Federal - Eastern District of Michigan Federal - 8th Circuit Court of Appeals Notable Matters Successfully obtained dismissal of conversion and breach of fiduciary duty claims as preempted under the Illinois Trade Secrets Act and dismissal of a breach of contract claim as superseded by a subsequent contract on behalf of strapping company Successfully prosecuted and resolved non-compete litigation in favor of insurance company against two former key sales employees Successfully resolved arbitration dispute on behalf of hospice company resulting from the breach of critical representations and warranties in an Asset Purchase Agreement arising out of purchase of hospice facility Successfully resolved trade secrets dispute on behalf of screw, bolt and nut manufacturer against licensee Successfully obtained no probable cause determinations on behalf of packaging and labeling company for discrimination and retaliation charges brought by multiple employees Successfully defended non-compete and non-solicitation dispute on behalf of hospice company and c-suite officer against competitor Successfully obtained denial of a temporary restraining order for strapping company against a competitor alleging trade secrets misappropriation Successful labor arbitration: arbitrator found that nationwide center had just cause to terminate union grievants employment after grievant failed to comply with the union contract Successfully obtained dismissal for coffee company in suit brought by terminated employee alleging negligence, fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress Successfully resolved breach of contract dispute in favor of airline company against its baggage handler Successfully defended television broadcasting company in age discrimination arbitration Successfully defended employers in numerous lawsuits involving discrimination and retaliation claims Successfully defended employers in several workers classification disputes, including misclassification claims brought by independent contractors and insurance carriers Successfully managed and resolved state and city agency inquiries, investigations and administrative complaints related to worker classification, sick and safe time, wage and hour and OSHA violations Successfully resolved contested probate in favor of religious community involving claims of lack of capacity and undue influence Successful court trial: prosecuted breach of contract dispute on behalf of contractor for unpaid labor Successfully defended employers in several workers classification disputes, including misclassification claims brought by independent contractors and insurance carriers Speeches and Publications Presenter, The Business of Law, University of Minnesota Law School (November 2023) Presenter, Unfair Competition and Trade Secrets - How To Avoid the Most Common Sand Traps, Teeing Up 2022 Employment and Labor Law Developments Seminar (Oct. 12, 2022) Co-Presenter, Unfair Competition and Trade Secrets - The Pitfalls of Commencing Litigation without Following Best Practices, Association of Corporate Counsel Minnesota 2022 Breakfast Seminar (June 22, 2022) Co-Author, Safeguarding Your Companys Trade Secrets During the Great Resignation, The Illinois Manufacturer (April 2022) Presenter, Non-Competition Agreements in Illinois: 2022 Changes and Challenges, Illinois State Bar Association CLE Webinar (Dec. 15, 2021) Co-author, Notice and Response Obligations Clarified Under OCRs July 2021 Title IX Q&A, Taft Law Bulletin (Sept. 9, 2021) Co-author, Summary of Minnesotas Face Covering Requirements, Taft Law Bulletin (July 24, 2020) Panelist, Sleep and Well-Being - Discussing the importance of sleep, its impact on performance, and how to manage workloads, MSBA Virtual Convention (June 2020) Presenter, Legal Business and Usual: The Diploma Privilege, MSBA Webcast Series (May 2020) Q&A, Colleague Corner: Meet Blair Harrington: A member of a team and part of a community, Bench & Bar of Minnesota (March 2020) Author, The Power of the Privilege Log, Bench & Bar of Minnesota (May 2018) News 08/15/2024 News One Hundred Thirty-Six Taft Attorneys Selected to Best Lawyers® Ones to Watch 2025 07/15/2024 News Nineteen Taft Attorneys Recognized in Minnesota Rising Stars 2024 01/02/2024 News Taft Elects 23 New Partners 11/14/2023 News Harrington and Plavin Co-Present Professional Essentials Milestone Workshop at University of Minnesota Law School Show More Professional Affiliations St. Paul Area Chamber Charitable Foundation Board Member The Sedona Conference Member, Working Group 12 - Trade Secrets Minnesota State Bar Association Member Past Chair, New Lawyers Section (2019-2020) Minnesota Women Lawyers Member Attorney Representative, MWL Partner Leadership Council (2021-2022) Hennepin County Bar Association Member Leadership St. Paul Graduate (2022)