Laird M. Doran
Regarded as a zealous advocate and seasoned litigator, Laird Doran brings a breadth of unique industry and regulatory experience to his diverse litigation practice that includes a focus on technology, franchise and trade-related litigation. Mr. Doran frequently serves as litigation counsel to technology companies as well as motor vehicle manufacturers in matters involving disputes with franchised dealers.
As former in-house counsel for International Business Machines, Mr. Doran is an adept technology law practitioner. His industry experience includes handling a robust range of technology-related matters, including data privacy, data security, intellectual property licensing, trade secret protection and compliance issues. Mr. Doran has successfully negotiated numerous complex information technology (IT) and business process outsourcing (BPO) transactions, including large-scale, complex ERP (enterprise resource planning) system (including SAP) implementations. He has structured and negotiated various types of international IT outsourcing, technology consulting services, systems procurement and integration and software licensing and development agreements. In addition to structuring and negotiating technology agreements, Mr. Doran has also advised senior business management on risk assessment, mitigation, negotiation strategies, and various trade and compliance issues.
Mr. Doran also brings a depth of regulatory experience to bear in his practice. Having worked for the United States Customs Service (now U.S. Customs and Border Protection) and as a member of Baker Hostetler’s Trade, Customs and Immigration Practice Team, he has experience in advising both domestic and foreign companies on U.S. trade laws and regulations, including:
- Customs and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) regulations;
- Sanctions regulations administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC);
- Export Administration Regulations (EAR) administered by the Department of Commerce; and
- International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) administered by the Department of State.
Mr. Doran’s experience includes assisting companies in establishing export and import compliance procedures, as well as representing companies before the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), OFAC and U.S. Customs on penalty actions, export license applications, ruling and classification requests, protests and various other matters.
Mr. Doran also has considerable experience in counseling clients on various employment and human resource-related issues and has successfully handled a wide range of employment-related litigation for technology clients, including misappropriation of trade secret cases, matters arising under Title VII, the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, covenants not to compete, employment torts and employment contracts.
Mr. Doran is a frequent author and speaker on topics involving trade secret protection, non-competition agreements and the intersection of deemed export compliance procedures with federal and state employment discrimination laws.
Prior to practicing law, Mr. Doran worked in the legal department of the Texas General Land Office under Land Commissioner David Dewhurst (now Texas Lieutenant Governor) and served as a member of Texas State Senator Jane Nelson’s staff for multiple legislative sessions. During his years of work in Texas state government, he was actively engaged in legislative research and bill analysis, as well as corresponding and interacting with constituents, lobbyists, legislators and concerned Texans.
Mr. Doran has an unwavering commitment to pro bono legal work and community service. He works with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in their efforts to safely secure the return of abducted children around the world through the filing and prosecution of cases under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. Mr. Doran spearheads the Houston office’s participation in the Houston Bar Association’s AIDS Outreach Program and serves as a member of Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts, a group providing pro bono legal and accounting services to artists and non-profit organizations. In addition, Mr. Doran serves as the firm’s sponsor for the Aspiring Youth of Houston’s “Take a Student to Your Employment” (TASTE) Program, which prepares at-risk youth for success in school and in life by hosting students in the workplace and counseling them on educational and career opportunities in the field of law.
Mr. Doran is a member of various professional, civic, and community organizations including, the Houston Downtown Alliance-Emerging Leaders Group, the Texas Bar Association, the Houston Young Lawyers Association and various Texas and Florida coastal conservation groups.
Mr. Doran speaks conversational Spanish and is an enthusiastic runner that enjoys coaching individuals of all ages and abilities train and complete their first marathons.