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Charles M. Sims is a partner with and heads up LeClairRyan�s Commercial litigation Practice Group and Business Litigation Team. Mr. Sims regularly litigates in federal and state court all manner and types of complex commercial disputes, including claims for officers� and directors� liability and professional malpractice; breach of contract, fraud, violations of state trade secret laws, tortious interference with contract, and ERISA claims. Mr. Sims also frequently represents clients in intellectual property litigation in federal and state court, and has a special interest in technology related issues. As a part of his commercial practice, Mr. Sims also litigates disputes related to estate matters and claims before various state agencies, including the State Corporation Commission and the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. Mr. Sims is a former Lieutenant in the United States Navy. He began his career as a submarine officer. He was stationed on board a Los Angeles Class, Fast Attack Nuclear Submarine. As part of his responsibilities, Mr. Sims supervised the operation of the nuclear reactor and the main propulsion plant for the nuclear submarine. Mr. Sims also developed technical and sonar search plans and he established a comprehensive training program to enhance the efficiency of maintenance practices aboard the submarine. After graduating from the United States Naval Academy, Mr. Sims graduated magna cum laude from the Georgetown University School of Law in 1993. He began his civilian law career with McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe before joining LeClairRyan in 1997. Legal Experience LeClairRyan, Richmond, Virginia, 1997 - present McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe, L.L.P., 1993-1997 Education Georgetown University, J.D., magna cum laude, 1993 United States Naval Academy, B.S., 1985 Extended Information Honors and Awards Listed in The Best Lawyers in America in commercial litigation in 2007 Named in Virginia Business magazine's "Legal Elite" in civil litigation in 200 Professional Memberships Defense Research Institute (DRI) Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys Overview of Select Practice Area Business Litigation The members of LeClair Ryan�s Business Litigation Team practice in state and federal courts throughout the country, as well as state and federal administrative tribunals. Several members of this team clerked for judges on the federal and state benches before beginning their litigation practices. The Firm�s business litigation practice involves all types of business disputes, including but not limited to antitrust claims, trademark, patent and copyright disputes, business frauds and conspiracies, shareholder disputes and corporate control cases, contract disputes, corporate dissolutions, construction litigation, defamation, and covenants not to compete. Much of this group�s litigation consists of disputes arising from the interaction and competition among businesses, entailing the inevitable claims of misappropriation of trade secrets, tortious interference with contract, breach of fiduciary duties, and unfair competition. Because our commercial litigators are well versed in the pitfalls of such litigation, they are often called in to advise businesses on a day-to-day basis as to the best ways to avoid litigation through prudent business practices and contract drafting. The attorneys practicing in this field work directly in our Business Litigation Department or with our Professional Malpractice Defense Group in representing a number of companies and their D&O and E&O carriers in directors and officers liability, errors and omissions liability, and professional malpractice claims filed in federal and state court in Virginia and across the country. Our partners have successfully defended through trial, summary judgment dismissal, or arbitration or mediation over thirty directors and officers liability cases over the past several years and routinely handles directors and officers cases in Virginia, District of Columbia and other jurisdiction around the country. In conjunction with the firm�s Securities Litigation and Regulatory Practice Group, members of this team have handled the litigation and arbitration of cases involving allegations of securities fraud, insider trading, churning, and unsuitable and unauthorized investments. The Business Litigation Practice Team also has significant experience representing financial institutions in so-called lender liabilit actions, UCC Article 3 and Articles 4 litigation, guarantor disputes, surety/fidelity bond claims, Article 9 lien priority litigation, detinue, debt collections and judgment enforcement. The members of LeClair Ryan�s Business Litigation Practice Team lecture frequently in the areas of trial practice and developments in business litigation and are recognized statewide in their field. In fact, the head of this practice group is currently the Chairman of the Virginia Bar Association�s Civil Litigation Section, comprised of over nine hundred litigators and judges in Virginia.. |
