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Diane M. Saunders

Shareholder   |   Boston

Whether she is handling litigation or simply providing advice and counsel, Diane Saunders employs a strategic approach to solving her clients’ legal and business problems. She always strives to achieve cost-effective results that are consistent with her clients’ overall business objectives. Diane is a skilled and aggressive litigator and possesses significant expertise in class and collective action matters and complex cases. Diane has been helping employers with their labor and employment issues and business disputes for over 20 years. Her clients include businesses of all sizes and in a variety of industries, as well as non-profit organizations. She is a Chair of the firm’s Retail Practice Group, and a member of the firm’s Steering Committee for the Class Action Practice Group.

Diane has tried over a dozen matters in federal and state courts, as well as before administrative agencies and in arbitration proceedings. She regularly handles appeals in state and federal courts. She also defends employers in investigations and enforcement actions conducted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. Representative matters include wage and hour, confidential information, trade secret and non-competition issues, discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, whistleblower, and workplace torts and contract disputes.

Diane defends class and collective action suits alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Equal Pay Act, and Massachusetts wage and hour laws, including the Massachusetts Tips Law and the Massachusetts Independent Contractor Law. She also defends pattern and practice discrimination class actions, including allegations of class-wide discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation.

In addition to her litigation practice, Diane regularly advises employers on employment law and wage and hour compliance and best practices. She reviews employee handbooks and employment policies, drafts employment agreements and non-competition agreements, conducts wage and hour audits, designs employment arbitration programs, and advises clients on best practices during workplace investigations.

Diane has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since 2013 and has been recognized by Super Lawyers since 2006 as one of the leading employment lawyers in Massachusetts and New England. She is AV Preeminent Peer Review rated in Martindale-Hubbell and is a Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America. She is a frequent speaker at education programs for attorneys, human resources professionals, business owners, and managers.

Diane graduated from American University’s Washington College of Law with honors and served as an Articles Editor on the American University Law Review. Immediately following her graduation from law school, she served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Richard S. Salzman, District of Columbia Superior Court.

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