In this issue: Holiday Fun, Guide to Trade Secrets, and New Associates
Holiday Fun
The WilliamsMcCarthy team ended 2025 on a fun note with a high-stakes holiday party. Judging by the photos, it hit the jackpot on holiday revelry.
Publications
Protecting What Matters: A Guide to Trade Secrets Law for Manufacturers and Innovators
In today’s competitive business world, ideas, processes, and know-how are often more valuable than physical assets. For manufacturers, engineers, and innovators, trade secrets—like proprietary formulas, customer lists, or manufacturing techniques—can be the key to long-term success. Understanding how to protect these assets under Illinois and federal law is critical.
Welcome New Associates Morgan E. Knight and James W. Roddy
Before joining WilliamsMcCarthy LLP, Morgan Knight served as a law clerk for the City of Champaign Legal Department from 2023 to 2025, where she gained experience in local government and municipal law. During the summers of 2023 and 2024, she was a summer associate at WilliamsMcCarthy LLP, gaining broad experience across a variety of practice areas. Her practice will focus on family law, employment law, and municipal/local government law.
James Roddy worked as an extern for the inhouse legal counsel at RSA, a cybersecurity company, where he focused on contract drafting and corporate matters. He also served as a summer associate at WilliamsMcCarthy LLP in 2024, gaining broad experience across both litigation and transactional practice areas. His practice will focus primarily on business and corporate law, real estate, and estate planning.
Our commitment to the success of our region runs deep. This year, Wilmac attorneys served on myriad boards and the firm financially supported organizations like Anderson Japanese Gardens, Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce, Severson Dells Nature Center, Rockford Family Justice Center, Natural Land Institute, Veterans’ Drop-in Center, Laurent House Foundation, Rosecrance, Rockford Art Museum and more. We look forward to continued involvement in our community in 2026!
If your business operates a consumer-facing website and uses third-party tracking technology, there is a growing chance that you will receive a demand letter from a plaintiff alleging your website violates consumer privacy laws.
Comments from Counsel – December 2025 Newsletter
In this issue: Holiday Fun, Guide to Trade Secrets, and New Associates
Holiday Fun
The WilliamsMcCarthy team ended 2025 on a fun note with a high-stakes holiday party. Judging by the photos, it hit the jackpot on holiday revelry.
Publications
Protecting What Matters: A Guide to Trade Secrets Law for Manufacturers and Innovators
In today’s competitive business world, ideas, processes, and know-how are often more valuable than physical assets. For manufacturers, engineers, and innovators, trade secrets—like proprietary formulas, customer lists, or manufacturing techniques—can be the key to long-term success. Understanding how to protect these assets under Illinois and federal law is critical.
WilliamsMcCarthy LLP News
Welcome New Associates Morgan E. Knight and James W. Roddy
Before joining WilliamsMcCarthy LLP, Morgan Knight served as a law clerk for the City of Champaign Legal Department from 2023 to 2025, where she gained experience in local government and municipal law. During the summers of 2023 and 2024, she was a summer associate at WilliamsMcCarthy LLP, gaining broad experience across a variety of practice areas. Her practice will focus on family law, employment law, and municipal/local government law.
James Roddy worked as an extern for the inhouse legal counsel at RSA, a cybersecurity company, where he focused on contract drafting and corporate matters. He also served as a summer associate at WilliamsMcCarthy LLP in 2024, gaining broad experience across both litigation and transactional practice areas. His practice will focus primarily on business and corporate law, real estate, and estate planning.
Wilmac in the Community
Our commitment to the success of our region runs deep. This year, Wilmac attorneys served on myriad boards and the firm financially supported organizations like Anderson Japanese Gardens, Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce, Severson Dells Nature Center, Rockford Family Justice Center, Natural Land Institute, Veterans’ Drop-in Center, Laurent House Foundation, Rosecrance, Rockford Art Museum and more. We look forward to continued involvement in our community in 2026!
Stay Informed
We regularly share insight in publications and our quarterly e-newsletter, Comments from Counsel.
Do Employers Have To Allow Remote Work?
Remote work has become a go-to tool for recruiting and retention, but do businesses have to say yes? Here’s what you need to know.
When the Demand Letter Arrives: A Guide to Pixel-Tracking Privacy Claims, Defense Strategy, and Insurance Coverage
If your business operates a consumer-facing website and uses third-party tracking technology, there is a growing chance that you will receive a demand letter from a plaintiff alleging your website violates consumer privacy laws.
WilliamsMcCarthy Attorney Named in 2027 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America®
Attorney Marc Gravino Named to the Best Lawyers in America for the fifth consecutive year.
Summer Associate Q&A: Courtney Specht Reflects on Her Second Summer
Learn more about our summer associate, Courtney Specht.