PRACTICE AREAS

The Law Office of Sally L. Adams focuses on management-side employment law counseling, employment litigation, and labor law matters in Massachusetts. The firm provides high-quality and effective representation at reasonable rates, with flexible billing arrangements (including an hourly, flat-fee or retainer basis).

Employment Counseling

Busy professionals need prompt and practical advice to achieve business objectives while managing legal risk. The goal is to ensure best workplace practices and policies that comply with the many and ever-changing federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations affecting employment relationships. Comprehensive employment law counseling, advice, and training includes:

  • Preventing discrimination, harassment, and retaliation
  • Hiring, performance management, discipline and discharge
  • Reductions in force, mass layoffs and plant closings under the WARN Act and “mini-WARN” acts, and unemployment proceedings
  • Preparing and reviewing employment agreements, personnel policies and employee handbooks
  • Conducting workplace investigations
  • Compliance with the federal and state family and medical leave laws, parental leave laws, and other leave requirements
  • Accommodating disabilities
  • Wage and hour audits and compliance
  • Privacy and technology in the workplace
  • Massachusetts data security compliance
  • Disputes involving non-compete agreements and other employment agreements
  • Union and unionization issues

…and a variety of other workplace issues

    Employment Litigation

    The goal is to be proactive to avoid litigation, but there are times when litigation becomes necessary. Sally Adams has a proven record managing all phases of complex disputes that may arise out of employment relationships, including claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour violations, wrongful termination, invasion of privacy and other tort claims, and enforcement of non-competition and other protective covenants. Representation covers a variety of settings, including:

     

    • State and federal courts at the trial and appellate levels
    • Administrative agencies including the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Fair Labor Division, the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the U.S. Department of Labor
    • Mediations, arbitrations and other alternative dispute resolution proceedings

    Labor

    Representing clients in a variety of settings: 

    • In collective bargaining, unfair or prohibited practice claims, certification and decertification proceedings, mediations, and arbitrations
    • Before agencies including the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations and the National Labor Relations Board