Employment Attorneys in Boston, MA
Boston’s hospitals, universities, and offices employ hundreds of thousands, and unpaid wages, discrimination, and retaliation still happen. A Massachusetts-licensed employment attorney will review your Boston workplace claim for free.
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Free Boston employment case review
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How we match your Boston employment case
When you submit a Boston employment matter, we route it through a national network of independent partner firms and put it in front of the one that fits best — based on the kind of case it is, what it is likely to involve, where it has to be handled, and who has capacity to take it on now.
Case type
A employment matter needs someone who handles employment work day to day, not a generalist. Practice area is the first filter.
Size and complexity
Some firms are built for catastrophic injury and multi-party litigation; others resolve straightforward claims quickly. We weigh what your matter is likely to involve against how each firm actually works.
Jurisdiction and licensing
Your matter is decided under Massachusetts law, so it goes to an attorney licensed in Massachusetts who regularly appears where your case would be heard.
Capacity and fit
Availability, conflicts of interest and language all matter. If the best-fit firm cannot take your case, we route it to the next one that can — or tell you plainly when no one in the network is the right answer.
Every partner reviews your case for free. Injury and workers’ compensation matters are handled on contingency — no fee unless you win. Other matters are quoted upfront, before you commit to anything.
DearLegal provides marketing and matching services and is not a law firm. Submitting a case does not create an attorney-client relationship. Matches depend on case type, jurisdiction and firm availability.
Employment cases in Boston
More about legal help in Boston →Workplaces in Boston include major hospitals, universities, financial firms, biotech labs, hotels, and restaurants, and disputes over wages, discrimination, retaliation, and noncompete agreements arise across all of them. Many claims must first go through the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination on a tight timeline before reaching Suffolk County courts, and wage claims have their own attorney-general step. Missing an early filing window can end an otherwise strong case. DearLegal matches you with a Massachusetts-licensed attorney who handles employment cases in Boston, and the review is free.
- Boston discrimination claims usually start with the state commission before any Suffolk County court filing.
- Hospital, university, biotech, and hospitality employers in Boston generate many wage and retaliation disputes.
- Massachusetts limits noncompetes and mandates triple damages for unpaid wages, which shapes Boston cases.
Massachusetts employment rules at a glance
Boston cases run under Massachusetts law. The full walkthrough — timeline, when to call, case types, and what a recovery can include — is on the Massachusetts page.
Read the full Massachusetts employment guide →- State Anti-Discrimination Statute
G.L. c. 151B
G.L. c. 151B — race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex (incl. pregnancy and related conditions), gender identity, sexual orientation, age 40+, genetic information, ancestry, disability, military status, veteran status. Employers with 6+ employees; the Equal Rights Act (G.L. c. 93 § 102) reaches smaller shops for harassment.
- Deadline to File Charge
300 days
300 days to file with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) under G.L. c. 151B § 5, work-shared with the EEOC. After 90 days at MCAD you may remove to Superior Court; the civil action must be filed within 3 years of the discriminatory act.
- At-Will Doctrine
At-will
At-will with a robust public-policy exception (DeRose v. Putnam Management Co.; Smith-Pfeffer), plus statutory shields: Wage Act retaliation (§ 148A), the healthcare and public-employee whistleblower statutes (G.L. c. 149 §§ 185, 187), workers' comp retaliation (G.L. c. 152 § 75B), jury duty, and military service.
- Non-Compete Enforceability
50%
Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act, G.L. c. 149 § 24L (agreements signed on or after October 1, 2018): garden leave at 50% of salary or other mutually agreed consideration, 12-month cap, 10 business days' advance notice in writing, void against workers laid off or terminated without cause, and wholly inapplicable to non-exempt employees, students, and workers under 18. Pre-2018 agreements remain governed by common-law reasonableness.
- Minimum Wage & Overtime
$15.00
$15.00/hour (since January 2023); tipped service rate $6.75 with a tip-credit true-up. Overtime at 1.5x after 40 hours (G.L. c. 151 § 1A). Wage Act (G.L. c. 149 § 148): final pay due the day of discharge, mandatory treble damages, personal officer liability. PFML (G.L. c. 175M): up to 26 weeks combined paid leave. Earned Sick Time (G.L. c. 149 § 148C): 40 hours/year.
- Typical attorney fee
33%
33%–40% contingency — no fee unless you win
Exhibit D
How much do Boston employment attorneys cost?
Sample settlement statement
Massachusetts · Employment
Illustrative only. Your fee terms are set in a written agreement with your attorney and may include costs and expenses regardless of outcome.
Most Massachusetts employment attorneys work on contingency: the fee is a share of what they recover, and nothing if they don’t.
Massachusetts employment lawyers commonly take cases on contingency at 33%–40%, and the state's fee-shifting statutes change the economics in your favor: because the Wage Act makes the employer pay your attorney fees on top of trebled damages, lawyers here will run wage cases that would be too small to touch anywhere else. Discrimination matters are often handled on hybrid terms — reduced hourly plus a percentage — given Ch. 151B's uncapped exposure. Either way, the initial case valuation costs you nothing.
A good attorney walks through every number at your free consultation — before you sign anything.
Exhibit F
Boston employment questions, answered
Still unsure? Tell us what happened and a Massachusetts attorney will review it for free.
Employment attorneys by city in Massachusetts
Same Massachusetts rules and the same attorneys — with what’s local to each city.
