Wendy Hughes focuses her practice on commercial litigation, post-employment litigation and arbitration of restrictive covenants.  Wendy is experienced in the area of complex federal court commercial litigation, including document management, eDiscovery and federal court discovery and motion practice.  She has advised clients in a variety of commercial disputes, including the defense, prosecution and resolution of diverse contract, tort and statutory claims.  Prior to joining Rubin Fortunato, Wendy worked at a large Philadelphia-based law firm where she represented clients in commercial litigation, including in the areas of contract claims, employment law, securities law and financial fraud, and criminal antitrust and tax fraud matters.

Wendy serves as the firm’s eDiscovery SME and regularly counsels clients and colleagues on the full spectrum of eDiscovery issues from preservation through production.  eDiscovery costs can escalate easily in litigation.  Wendy understands this and employs a cost-cutting approach to addressing client eDiscovery challenges, including the use of effective meet and confer strategies, targeted collections, data analytics and document review workflow efficiencies.  Wendy’s approach is simple and effective at right-sizing the eDiscovery to the litigation.

Wendy serves as a part-time instructor for an undergraduate business course offered by Penn State University’s World Campus (on-line course work) on the topic of the Social, Legal and Ethical Environment of Business.  Wendy is actively involved in local politics and regularly volunteers to serve local, state and national candidates.  During the 2008 and 2012 Presidential elections, Wendy served as a poll watcher at local polling places to protect voters, address ballot issues and escalate voting issues requiring a higher level of resolution.

Speaking Engagements

• “E-Discovery Toolkit: How to Chisel Away the Costs of E-Discovery (and Increase Your Chances of a Merits-Based Resolution),” Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Employment Law Institute 2019, co-presenter
• “Technology Assisted Review:  Opportunities and Takeaways,” Co-Presenter to eDiscovery Subject Matters Experts for National Client (2017)
• “Technology Assisted Review:  Real World Application,” Co-Presenter to In-House Legal Counsel for National Client (2017)
• “How Many Lawyers Does it Take to Analyze an Email Server?” Co-Presenter with OpenText at Lunch-N-Learn (2017)
• “eDiscovery Negotiations with Opposing Counsel:  Meet and Confers in Smaller Matters,” Annual eDiscovery Summit for National Client (2016)

Practice Highlights

• Obtained dismissal of claims under the Defend Trade Secrets Act in federal court as a matter of law under Rule 12(b)(6) and as sanctions for plaintiff’s “misuse of the judicial process and litigation abuse.”
  

  Government Employees Insurance Co., et al., v. Nealey, et al., No. 17-807, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 91219 (E.D. Pa. June 13, 2017).

• Leads and promotes best practices for client eDiscovery and data management, including adherence to clients’ related policies and protocols. Provides guidance on issues related to eDiscovery and client data management to enhance efficiencies and mitigate attendant costs and risks.
  
• Serves as strategic advisor in connection with use of predictive coding technology for large-scale document reviews.
  
• Obtained arbitration award of over $470,000, plus attorney’s fees, against former employee on breach of contract claim.
  

  Merrill Lynch v. Riley, FINRA-DR No. 14-01106, Los Angeles, CA (2015)

• Obtained injunction in federal court against former employee preventing solicitation of customers.
  

  Merrill Lynch v. Warren, No. 14-CV-233-KKC, E.D.Ky. (2014)