Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave: What Employers Should Be Doing Now

Description

Paid leave benefits and rights under the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Law (MAPFML) are set to begin on January 1, 2021, and all employers doing business in Massachusetts should be taking steps now to prepare. Please join us for a webinar with Mintz attorneys Drew Matzkin and Emma Follansbee to discuss important changes to the final regulations and what actions employers need to take now to comply with the law.

If you would like to submit questions ahead of time, please send them to info@agcmass.org

Speakers:

Drew Matzkin
Drew is a seasoned employment litigator whose practice includes counseling clients on the full range of federal and state labor and employment issues. He represents companies in many sectors, including life sciences, technology, industrial, and professional services — in federal and state courts and before arbitrators and administrative agencies. He skillfully navigates issues involving noncompetition agreements, discrimination and harassment, workplace health and safety, employment contracts and handbooks, leaves of absence, and collective bargaining. As part of his practice, Drew also regularly conducts OSHA site inspections and compliance audits, and handles OSHA complaints, investigations, and administrative law actions.
 
Drew's work primarily involves litigation and counseling on federal and state labor and employment issues, including discrimination, sexual harassment, leaves of absence, workplace health and safety, employment handbooks and contracts, and collective bargaining agreements. He has also defended employers against wage and hour class actions brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state wage and hour laws.
 
Drew handles employment litigation before federal and state courts, arbitrators, and administrative agencies, including state fair employment and human rights agencies, unemployment assistance agencies, and industrial accidents agencies. Representative cases involve claims pertaining to discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, wage and hour laws, trade secret protection, enforcement of noncompetition and nonsolicitation agreements, and contract disputes.

He also counsels clients on a wide variety of employment issues, such as leaves of absence, independent contractor and employee classification, exempt and nonexempt worker classification, reasonable accommodation for handicapped employees, disciplining and terminating employees, investigating claims of harassment, and protecting trade secrets and confidential information. Drew regularly reviews employment handbooks and personnel policies, and drafts employment agreements and noncompetition agreements.
 
In addition, Drew regularly counsels employers regarding all aspects of environmental health and safety. Drew has conducted numerous OSHA site inspections and compliance audits, has handled numerous OSHA investigations, complaints and administrative law actions, and regularly counsels clients on OSHA issues ranging from routine compliance workplace injuries to fatalities.
 
Before joining the firm, Drew was a Judicial Law Clerk at the Norfolk County Probate and Family Court. During law school, he also handled family law and disability law cases as a student attorney at both the Boston College Legal Assistance Bureau and Shelter Legal Services. His experience included arguing motions for temporary restraining orders, negotiating divorce, custody, and visitation agreements, and drafting and arguing appeals for social security disability benefits.
 
As an undergraduate at Bates College, he was a member of both the men's rugby and lacrosse teams.


Emma Follansbee
Emma counsels clients on a wide variety of employment issues and litigates employment disputes before state and federal courts and administrative agencies. Her litigation practice includes restrictive covenant agreements; discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation claims; and wage and hour compliance.

Emma regularly advises clients on compliance with federal, state, and local laws, including changes in Massachusetts non-compete laws and leave entitlements. Her practice also encompasses assisting clients with terminations and reductions in force, WARN notifications, workplace investigations, employee classifications, and employee handbooks and policies. She is a regular contributor to the employment group’s blog, covering topics such as the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act and Parental Leave compliance.

Emma has been engaged in a number of the firm’s pro bono initiatives, including the asylum and immigration practice and the Domestic Violence Project.