OUR LAWYERS

Patricia R. Urban

In her corporate and fiduciary litigation practice, Patricia R. Urban focuses on individual, class and derivative actions involving a broad range of substantive issues, including actions for temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions. Her commercial practice includes contract and employment litigation, including executive compensation, non-competition, ERISA, ADA, ADEA and Title VII actions. In addition, Ms. Urban is a mediator for the Delaware state courts. She was also was appointed, pursuant to 29 Del. C. 4837, to serve as a Commissioner on Delaware's Lottery Commission, which, among other things, conducts hearings relating to licensing disputes, exclusion list disputes, and other appeals of decisions by Delaware's Lottery Director. Ms. Urban served as Co-Chair of the Delaware State Bar Association's Women & the Law Section for the 2013-2015 term.


PRACTICE AREAS:

LITIGATION:

  • Corporate & Alternative Entity Litigation
  • Employment Litigation
  • Trade Secrets/Noncompetition

MEDIATIONS:

  • Certified by the Superior Court of the State of Delaware

TRANSACTIONS:

  • Corporate Counseling of Delaware entities and their officers, directors and owners

APPOINTMENTS:

  • Appointed by then Governor Jack Markell in 2010 to serve a two-year term as a Commissioner on the Delaware Lottery Commission; re-appointed to a five-year term in June 2012
  • Appointed by Delaware Supreme Court in 2014 to serve four-year term on the Preliminary Investigatory Committee of the Court on the Judiciary

ADMISSIONS:

  • State of Delaware
  • U.S. District Court -- Delaware
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:
  • Delaware State Bar Association
  • (past co-chair Corporate Counsel Section);
  • (past co-chair Women & the Law Section)
  • American Bar Association
  • Richard S. Rodney Inn of Court

EDUCATION:

  • Widener University School of Law, magna cum laude, J.D., 2000
  • University of Pittsburgh, B.A.

COMMUNITY SERVICE AND AFFILIATIONS:

  • Member of the Board of Directors, Survivors of Abuse in Recovery, Inc. (SOAR) (2008 - present)
  • Volunteer Attorney Guardian Ad Litem, Delaware Office of the Child Advocate

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION:

  • Selected as Fellow of American Bar Foundation (2015)
  • Recipient of Delaware State Bar Association Christopher W. White Distinguished Access to Justice Commitment Award (2014)

Representative Matters:

  • Represented several national telecommunications companies in various actions, including breach of contract action involving drag-along rights, class and individual actions challenging fairness of cash-out merger, and derivative actions challenging fairness of proposed transaction with majority stockholder
  • Represented partners and members of alternative entities in contract disputes, breach of fiduciary duty actions, and dissolution actions under respective Partnership and LLC Acts
  • Defended investment banks and private equity firms in various actions alleging aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty
  • Represented ousted directors in action to determine corporation's officers and directors pursuant to Section 225 of the Delaware General Corporation Law
  • Defended automobile holding company in class action challenging tender offer by company's controlling stockholder and in subsequent appraisal action pursuant to Section 262 of the Delaware General Corporation Law
  • Defended CEO of cosmeceutical company in trade secrets and breach of noncompetition covenant action
  • Represented major corporation in ERISA litigation
  • Represented major healthcare, banking, and trucking companies in discrimination actions
  • Served as expert witness on Delaware noncompetition law in action pending in United Kingdom
  • Defended directors in securities fraud litigation, including claims under SEC Rule 10b-5 and state blue sky laws

Clerkships and Previous Practice:

  • Josiah Oliver Wolcott Clerk to the Honorable E. Norman Veasey, then-Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court (1999-2000)
  • Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP, Associate (2000-2005)
  • Morris James LLP, Associate (2005-2007); Partner (2008-2009)

Publications and Speaking Engagements:

  • Panelist, "Revlon at 30: Is there still Poison in the Pill?" (Delaware State Bar Association, 2016)
  • Speaker, Motion Practice (Delaware State Bar Association, 2008)
  • Roll Out the Barrel: the SEC Reverses its Stance on Employment-Related Shareholder Proposals under Rule 14a-8 -- Again, 25 DEL. J. CORP. L. 277 (2000)