Your Resource for Employment Law Solutions

The slnlaw employment team has worked with many business owners and individual employees to handle some of the difficult issues that can arise.  Whatever the issue, we believe every situation has a solution.  Our mission is to find the most effective and efficient way to get you to that solution. Below is a summary of the employment law services we offer.

Employment Law Services for Employers

Most business owners are a little fearful about the pitfalls of employment law. Most also do not clearly understand the rules. Our focus in serving business clients is to provide proactive advice and counseling for employers to help avoid an employment lawsuit.

Most often employers contact us if an employee has raised a complaint about something or if they have to terminate an employee.

Handling employee complaints right is very important. If an employee complains about sexual harassment, we can help you conduct a workplace investigation. We can also help you understand the rules about retaliation.

An employee complaint about wage and hour issues also needs to be handled carefully. Our employment lawyers can review your compensation policies to make sure you are in compliance with the law.

Employee termination can also be risky if it is not handled correctly. You can read about some best practices for termination. But it is important to seek advice from a law firm experienced in employment law before you act. We can help assess whether you have risk for any potential legal claims, make sure the actual termination is in compliance with state law, and draft a severance agreement if appropriate.

We can also help you with proactive strategies for dealing with employee illness or disability. This includes understanding whether you are required to provide family and medical leave, your responsibilities under the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave law, and what the rules are regarding disabilities and reasonable accommodations.

If you do get sued, we can still help you. Our lawyers have experience in the EEOC, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and state and federal courts in Massachusetts.

Read more about the most common legal issues under Massachusetts employment law.

Employment Law Services for Employees

If you have recently been fired, we can help you assess whether you have any potential wrongful termination claims.  This does not mean you have to bring a lawsuit. Very often, we help employees with potential legal claims negotiate a severance package instead of filing a suit.

We also help employees review and understand their employment contracts.  This can be before accepting a job or if issues arise at termination.

Sometimes employers make promises to job candidates about things like job security or compensation.  We can help you assess whether these promises are enforceable if your employer does not live up to them.

We can also help if you have trouble collecting unemployment. Even if you are fired for "cause," in most cases you should still be able to collect benefits.

If you don't think you are being paid correctly, we can help with that also. This includes working overtime without overtime pay, working on Sunday without sunday premium pay, making less than minimum wage, or not being paid commissions or wages timely.

If you are classified as an independent contractor instead of an employee, it is a good idea to get legal advice. Many employers get this wrong. The truth is that very few people are lawfully classified as contractors under Massachusetts law.

If you have a non compete agreement or are asked to sign one, we can help with that too. We have expertise in non compete agreements in Massachusetts, as well as the new Massachusetts law that limits their enforcement.  We can also advise you about other restrictive covenants, like non solicitation provisions, intellectual property and work for hire clauses, and non disclosure agreements. 

Employment Law Practice Areas

Here are some of the many employment law issues we can help you with.

Wrongful Termination. This includes termination based on discrimination or retaliation for reporting discrimination. It also includes actions taken in reprisal for reporting sexual harassment, taking medical leave, or filing for workers compensation benefits.  In some situations, termination of a shareholder employee can give rise to a claim as well.

Sexual Harassment. We have handled complaints of direct sexual harassment. We also handle claims arising from behavior that creates a hostile work environment.

FMLA, Earned Sick Time, and Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave.  We have helped both employees and employers ensure compliance with state and federal laws about family and medical leave.

Overtime Pay. We have secured compensation for many individuals improperly classified under the overtime laws. We also work with small business owners to make sure their policies do not create a risk for an overtime lawsuit.

Wage and Hour Disputes. We have helped many employees enforce their right to payment of earned wages and commissions. Our trial lawyers have also litigated wage and hour claims on behalf of both employees and business owners.

Equal Pay. We have represented women who were paid less than male colleagues for equal or comparable work. We can also help employers with a good faith audit to protect themselves from liability.

Independent Contractor Status. Many workers in Massachusetts who are paid as 1099 employees are not properly classified under the law. We help employees get compensation for the benefits they miss as contractors. We also help small businesses understand and apply the independent contractor laws in Massachusetts.

Non Compete Agreements. We have helped many employees to transition to a new job despite a non compete or other legal obligations to their employer. We also help individuals considering a new non compete agreement. Our fast turnaround review service will help assess whether the agreement is enforceable. Where necessary, we have also litigated disputes over non competes.

Severance Package Negotiation. We have helped many individuals negotiate severance packages that adequately compensate them for the job loss and release of claims.

How to Get Started

We can help you assess your employment situation and get clarity on your rights and obligations.  You can use the button below to schedule a call back from a member of our team, give us a call at  781-784-2322, or fill out our web form  to let us know a little more about your situation.

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Links to Massachusetts Employment Law Resources