Contact

130 North Court Ave,
Memphis TN 38103

Practice Areas

Intellectual Property, Information Technology & Media Law

Franchising & Distribution Law

Commercial & Business Litigation

Admitted to Practice

Tennessee, 1994

Pennsylvania, 1992

District of Columbia, 1992

Bar Admissions

American Bar Association

Tennessee Bar Association

Memphis Bar Association

Doug Halijan’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and intellectual property matters, with a particular emphasis on trade secret, trademark, copyright, information technology, and franchise-related issues.

He has represented plaintiffs and defendants in trade secret cases involving the protection of a wide range of confidential business information, software, and manufacturing processes and technologies. Mr. Halijan has also litigated numerous trademark and copyright infringement matters, represented parties in a wide range of business and commercial disputes, and regularly advises clients regarding franchise and dealer/distributor issues, including termination proceedings. His practice also includes representation of clients in the negotiation and enforcement of various types of intellectual property and software licenses. He is also listed as a Rule 31 Mediator pursuant to the Rules of the Tennessee Supreme Court and has particular experience mediating intellectual property cases and business disputes.

Mr. Halijan is an adjunct professor of intellectual property law at the University of Memphis Law School, is the author of a leading article on Tennessee trade secrets law, and is a frequent speaker at continuing legal education programs on intellectual property law. He presently serves on the Advisory Commission on the Tennessee Rules of Practice and Procedure, having been appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court in 2016. He is listed in Best Lawyers® in America in the areas of Intellectual Property, Commercial Litigation, Trademark Law, and Bet-the-Company Litigation. Following law school, he served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Julia S. Gibbons, formerly Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Mr. Halijan has practiced at the firm since 1994 and presently serves on the firm’s Management Committee.

Education

University of Pennsylvania (J.D., 1992); Articles Editor, University of Pennsylvania Law Review (1991 – 1992); Associate Editor (1990 -1991)
Rhodes College (B.A., 1989), Honors in English; Phi Beta Kappa; Omicron Delta Kappa

Professional Honors and Activities

Named 2025 Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” for Bet-the-Company Litigation in the Memphis area
Named 2024 Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” for Trademark Law in the Memphis area
Named 2021 Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” for Litigation – Intellectual Property in the Memphis area
Rated “AV® Preeminent™” by Martindale-Hubbell®
Listed in Best Lawyers in America® in the areas of Intellectual Property, Commercial Litigation, Trademark Law, and Bet-the-Company Litigation (2010-2025)
Named Best Lawyers® “Lawyer of the Year” for Bet-the-Company Litigation in the Memphis Area (2017) and “Lawyer of the Year” for Intellectual Property in the Memphis Area (2015)
Mediator listed under Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 31 (civil)
Appointed by Tennessee Supreme Court to three-year term on Advisory Commission on the Rules of Practice and Procedure (2019)
Adjunct Professor, Intellectual Property, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, University of Memphis (2010- 2015); Honored as “Adjunct Professor of the Year” in recognition of teaching and service to the Law School, May 2015
Named to the Memphis Top 50 Super Lawyers list in the area of Intellectual Property Litigation (2024)
Named to the Mid-South Super Lawyers list in the area of Intellectual Property Litigation (2011-present)
Named to “Top 40 Under 40” list of Memphis business leaders by Memphis Business Journal (2003)
Board of Directors, Memphis Bar Association (2015-2018)
Fellow, Tennessee Bar Foundation (Class of 2016)
Board of Directors, Community Legal Center (2001-2009; President, 2003-2004)
Recipient, Elmore Holmes Award for Outstanding Service to the Community Legal Center (2005)
Law Clerk to Honorable Julia Smith Gibbons, Chief Judge, United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee (1992-1993)
Board of Directors, Intellectual Property/Entertainment Law Section of the Memphis Bar Association (2010-2012)
Member, Litigation and Intellectual Property Sections, American Bar Association
Member, Trade Secrets Subcommittee to the Committee on Business Torts Litigation, American Bar Association

Publications and Presentations of Note

Speaker, “Combatting Counterfeiting and Gray Market Sales,” ALFA International, Tucson, Arizona (October 2019)
Panelist, “Who Wants to Be an IP Millionaire,” ALFA International, Dana Point, California (March 2019)
Speaker, Trade Secrets Following the Enactment of the Defend Trade Secrets Act, Memphis Bar Association(July 2017)
Speaker, Trade Secret Damages as a Bet-the-Company Proposition, Southeastern Forensic and Valuation Services Conference, Brentwood, Tennessee (October 2016)
Moderator/Speaker, Workshop on Adjudication of Intellectual Property Infringement Disputes, Commercial Law Development Program, U.S. Department of Commerce, Tblisi, Republic of Georgia (September 2015)
Presenter, “Bet the Company Damages in Trade Secret Litigation,” Trade Secret Monetization and Management Symposium, Chicago, IL (October 2013)
Presenter, “Protecting Trade Secrets,” Memphis Bar Association, Intellectual Property Section (April 2013)
Presenter /Moderator, Workshop on Adjudication of Intellectual Property Infringement Cases, Commercial Law Development Program, U.S. Department of Commerce, Yalta, Ukraine (June 2012)
Presenter, “Adjudicating Trade Secret Disputes,” and “Understanding Substantial Similarity in Copyright Cases,” for Commercial Law Development Program, U.S. Department of Commerce, Memphis, TN (March 2011)
Presenter, “IP Challenges Presented by Social Media,” Memphis Bar Association (April 2010)
Co-author, Tennessee Survey of Privacy and Related Torts Against the Media, Libel Defense Resource Center (1994, updated annually)
Author, The Past, Present and Future of Trade Secrets Law in Tennessee: A Practitioner’s Guide to Trade Secrets law in Tennessee Following the Enactment of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, 32 University of Memphis Law Review, Number 1 (2002)
Author, Written Agreements Key Elements in ‘Work Made for Hire’ Definition for the Memphis Business Journal Special Section on Litigation (June 2010)

Community Involvement

Board of Directors, Memphis Bar Association (2015-2018)
Member, Board of Trustees, National Ornamental Metal Museum (2000-2015)
Board of Directors, Community Legal Center, 1998-2009 (Chairman, 2003-2005)
Board of Directors, Beale Street Caravan, Inc. (nationally-syndicated blues radio show)

Best Lawyers - Best Lawyers Award Badge