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Area of emphasis
Kevin Douglass is a shareholder in the firm’s Litigation Services Group. He serves as current chair of the firm’s Recruiting Committee. Mr. Douglass has more than twenty-five years of experience litigating complex commercial matters in a variety of forums including federal, state and bankruptcy courts. His trial experience includes multiple jury trials, bench trials and preliminary injunction hearings. Mr. Douglass also has participated in numerous forms of alternative dispute resolution including mediation, mini-trials and arbitration. He regularly represents clients in various contractual matters, director/officer liability cases, restrictive covenant/trade secret issues, closely-held shareholder disputes, products liability cases, as well as construction and environmental actions.
Energy and Marcellus Shale Focus
Mr. Douglass represents an increasing number of natural resources and energy clients in a variety of matters including lease and title disputes, supply agreement litigation and challenges to municipal ordinances. Mr. Douglass is a member of the firm’s Natural Resources Group and serves on the Executive Committee of the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation (“EMLF”), a non-profit educational organization focused on legal issues related to the energy and mineral industry. He is also a member of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, an organization committed to the responsible development of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale geological formation.
Representative Matters
- Successful settlement after a two week trial defending against a $54 million destruction of business claim
- Successful defense of a billion dollar entity’s chief financial officer in multiple cases, including class actions $3.3 million judgment, plus attorneys’ fees, on behalf of a corporate officer following an 8 day trial against his former employer and a successor companyRare appointment of a corporate custodian after a protracted hearing exposing fraudulent activities
- Punitive damage award following a jury trial involving trade secret violations
Background
Mr. Douglass graduated magna cum laude from Mount Union College with honors in History in 1983. He earned his J.D. at Duquesne University School of Law in 1986 where he was a member of the Duquesne Law Review and served as an intern with Judge David W. Craig in Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court.
Memberships and Affiliations
Mr. Douglass is admitted to practice in both Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as well in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He has also been admitted pro hac vice in numerous state and federal courts.
Mr. Douglass is an active member of the Allegheny County Association. He has served on the Judiciary Committee (2009-11) and is a past chair and a current member of the Court Rules Committee. During the last several years, he was appointed to serve on ad hoc committees responsible for extensive changes to the county’s local rules and jury selection system. He is also a member of the Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations. Among his civic activities, Mr. Douglass supports trade and international investment in the region by serving on the board of directors of GlobalPittsburgh and as a board member and immediate past chair of the British-American Business Council’s Pittsburgh chapter. He has also served as co-chair of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s wine tasting event.
Publications/Presentations
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Presenter, “Marcellus Shale Municipal Ordinances in Pennsylvania: Constitutional and Preemption Challenges,” LexisNexis presents Emerging Issues in the Law of Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, Pittsburgh, PA, June, 2011.
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Co-Presenter, “Developing Case Law for the Marcellus Shale: Building a Moving Car,” Pennsylvania Bar Association Civil Litigation Annual Retreat, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Farmington, PA, April, 2011.
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Co-Presenter with the Honorable Lisa Pupo Lenihan, Chief Magistrate Judge, United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, “A Trial in the Real World: How Things Are Done in the Federal Courts in Western Pennsylvania,” Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County and Allegheny County Bar Association, Pittsburgh, PA, March, 2011.
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Co-Presenter, “Can Witnesses and Lawyers Learn From Hollywood?” EMLF Mineral Law Conference, Lexington, KY, October 2009.
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Presenter, “Successful Negotiations,” EMLF Energy Law Workshops, Fort Myers, FL, February 2009.
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Presenter, “Work it Out: Conflict Resolution for Business Owners,” Pittsburgh Young Professionals, Pittsburgh, PA, January 2009.
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Presenter, “Work it Out: Conflict Resolution for Physician Owners,” Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, Philadelphia, PA, October 2008.
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Co-Presenter, “Climate Change is Changing Business,” EMLF Mineral Law Conference, Lexington, KY, October 2008.
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Author, “Resolving Issues Between Practice Owners,” Physician’s News Digest, January 2008.
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Presenter, “Restrictive Covenants and Trade Secrets. Why Should You Care?” EMLF Mineral Law Conference, Lexington, KY, October 2007.
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Co-author and presenter, “Stay Out of My Sandbox – Preventing Third Parties From Interfering With Your Contracts,” EMLF’s Annual Institute, Charleston, SC, May 2006.
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