Jamie Dupree’s practice focuses on complex business and employment litigation. Jamie regularly litigates business “divorce” cases involving ownership disputes in closely-held companies.  She also regularly defends companies and individuals in employment litigation.  Jamie has litigated business, unfair competition, misappropriation of trade secrets, corporate dissolution, employment discrimination, wrongful termination, wage and hour, and disability access disputes, and regularly acts as local counsel in both state and federal court. Jamie also advises clients on employment and general business matters, negotiates executive compensation and severance arrangements, and acts as outside general counsel to several privately-held Bay Area businesses.  

Jamie's clients consist of privately-held and publicly traded businesses across a broad spectrum of fields (including technology, software, engineering, consulting, toy, restaurant, freight, food, manufacturing, dentistry and law) as well as receivers, public entities and individuals.  She prides herself in getting to know her clients and their interests so she can help them achieve cost-effective results.

Highlights

• Litigates business and employment disputes in both state and federal courts
• Represents individuals and companies in ownership disputes
• Negotiates executive entrances and exits from employment 
• Advises businesses and individuals about compliance with employment discrimination laws and wage and hour rules
• Acts as mediator and early neutral evaluator for the Northern District of California’s Alternative Dispute Resolution panels
• Acts as outside general counsel for a number of privately-held Bay Area companies in a variety of industries, including technology, consulting, engineering, and advertising/marketing
• Served as law clerk for the Honorable Stanley S. Brotman, United States District Court Judge for the District of New Jersey and as Acting Chief Judge for the District Court of the Virgin Islands

Selected Client Representations

Misappropriation of Trade Secrets

Employer v. Former Employee and Competitor

Santa Clara Superior Court

Summary:  Our client was a Bay Area business whose pricing and customer identity information was highly confidential.  After a key salesperson left to work for a competitor, our client discovered that its former employee had transmitted key trade secret and confidential information to his home computer and had also communicated with a company client to "wait" to place an order until he joined the competing business.  We secured a temporary restraining order against the employee and engaged in significant expedited discovery prior to the hearing on our motion for a preliminary injunction.

Result:  The case was settled early in the litigation on favorable terms.

Attorney:  Jamie L. Dupree

Employee v. Employer
Marin County Superior Court
Summary:  Our client runs a well-established cosmetic dentistry practice. When he terminated his office manager for poor performance, she sued, bringing a host of claims including sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, nonpayment of wages, intentional infliction of emotional distress and blacklisting.  She went so far as to claim our client was “stalking her” and sought a restraining order.  We defeated her effort to obtain a restraining order by showing that her stalking claim was not credible.  Despite that early victory, plaintiff continued to play games throughout the litigation, such as canceling her deposition at the last minute or failing to show up at her scheduled deposition.  

Result:  We ultimately prevailed on a motion for terminating sanctions and judgment was entered in our client’s favor on all claims.  

Attorneys:  Jamie L. Dupree and Martin H. Dodd

Sexual Harassment

Employee v. Employer

Northern District of California
Summary:  Plaintiff was a social worker employed by a local county.  She claimed that she was harassed by an independent contractor for the county and made a number of employment discrimination claims, including sex and ethnic origin discrimination.  After significant discovery, we filed a motion for summary judgment on all claims.  

Result:  While the motion for summary judgment was pending, the case settled for a nominal sum.  

Attorney:  Jamie L. Dupree

Consulting Company

Summary: Our client was an executive and organizational coach employed by a large out-of-state company.  Her employer required her to sign a non-compete agreement that would have prevented her from working for a competitor or opening her own business. Our client hired us when she wanted to open her own consulting company.  We helped her understand her rights and obligations under her agreement with her employer and what she could and could not do in opening her own business.  We also corresponded with her former employer about the problems with her non-compete agreement under California law, and her former employee took no action against her.

Result: Through our assistance, she was ultimately able to open her very successful consulting business.

Attorney:  Jamie L. Dupree

Professional Contributions

Highly involved in the legal community, Ms. Dupree was selected to be a Lawyer Representative for the Northern District of California to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Council for the 2017-2020 term.  She serves as a mediator for the United States District Court for Northern District of California, and is a member of the Northern District Early Neutral Evaluator Panel.  Jamie is a member of the board for the Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom, having served as Programs Chair, Co-Chair and Gala Co-Chair.  She is the President of the Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom Foundation.  She also is a member of the State Bar of California, the San Francisco Bar Association, and the San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association. Ms. Dupree is a former member of the San Francisco Bar Association’s Judiciary Committee.

Community Participation 

Jamie has a particular interest in mentoring students.  She regularly formally and informally mentors law students and young lawyers through the Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom.  She has worked with middle school students preparing for a mock trial, formally mentored hight school students at Balboa High School in San Francisco and college students at Stanford University and has conducted mock job interviews and acted as a moot court judge for law students.  She also is an active supporter of a number of civil rights and charitable organizations and regularly participates in a broad range of educational and social activities with her children.

Admissions
All of the state courts for California, the United States District Courts for the Northern District of California, the Eastern District of California and the Central District of California, and the United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit.