Jonathan R. Sigel
Partner
Legal Administrative Assistant Jessica K. Rubin
Jonathan is a partner, chair of the Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Group. He advises clients on a broad range of employment issues, including employment and severance agreements, handbooks and policies, and terminations and layoffs. Jonathan also advises management on proper wage and hour classification. Jonathan represents clients in investigations by the Department of Labor and the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General. He has extensive experience representing management in the negotiation and litigation of employment and discrimination claims in the state and federal courts, and appears frequently before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and represents employers in wage and hour litigation in court.
In 2003, Jonathan received the "40 under Forty" Award from the Worcester Business Journal. He received the Samuel Seder Young Leadership Award from the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts in 1998. Jonathan has been named a Massachusetts “Super Lawyer” by Boston magazine and Law & Politics every year since 2009. Jonathan was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2020 in the field of Employment Law - Management. First listed in 2013. In 2021, Jonathan has been named Best Lawyers® Worcester Employment Law - Management “Lawyer of the Year."
Bar & Court Admissions
- Massachusetts
- Emory University School of Law JD (1991)
- Bowdoin College BA, magna cum laude (1987)
- Advised clients on a broad range of employment issues, including employment, severance and non-competition agreements, and handbooks, policies, terminations and layoffs
- Successfully represented many employers in the defense of discrimination claims filed with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and in state and federal courts
- Successfully represented many employers in other employment-related litigation, such as disputes regarding employment contracts and confidentiality and non-competition agreements
- Advised and assisted employers with internal investigations of alleged employee misconduct, including claims of sexual harassment
- Advised employers on wage and hour compliance matters and represented employers during audits by agencies such as the Department of Labor and the Office of the Attorney General
- Provided numerous in-house presentations for clients on harassment prevention and employment law basics for supervisors
Publications/Presentations
- “Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave – Updated Guidance and Resources,” Mirick O’Connell Client Alert, June 15, 2021
- “Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave – Employer Guidance,” Mirick O’Connell Client Alert, June 2, 2021
- “Paid Family Medical Leave: Are We Having Fun Yet?” Mirick O’Connell Employment Law Webinar (April 29, 2021)
- “DOL Publishes Model Notices for COBRA Subsidies,” Mirick O’Connell Client Alert, April 9, 2021
- “PFML Certification Form for a Serious Health Condition,” Mirick O’Connell Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Law Blog, December 2020
- “Are You Prepared for the Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave Law?,” Mirick O’Connell Webinar (December 3, 2020)
- Quoted in “Time Theft: How SMBs Can Detect and Control it,” Zenefits.com, November 30, 2020
- “Paid FMLA Updates,” Corridor Nine Webinar (October 15, 2020)
- “Massachusetts Independent Contractor Law,” On Air with Mirick O’Connell legal podcast (July 27, 2020)
- “United States Supreme Court Issues Historic Decision Protecting LGBT Workers from Employment Discrimination,” Mirick O’Connell Client Alert, June 18, 2020
- “Returning to the Workplace after COVID-19 Quarantine,” On Air with Mirick O’Connell legal podcast (May 12, 2020)
- “Families First Coronavirus Response Act,” ePay Webinar (March 27, 2020)
- “Employment Law Developments,” 16th Annual In-House Counsel Seminar, Massachusetts Bar Association (panelist) (January 31, 2019)
- “Wage and Hour Litigation on the Rise: How Can You Avoid It?” Mirick O’Connell Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Annual Seminar (April 2019)
- “What Can Be Done to Prevent Workplace Violence & Avoid Liability?,” Workplace Violence Seminar, Starkweather & Shepley Insurance (May 2019)
- “MA Paid Family and Medical Leave Act,” Mirick O’Connell Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Law Blog, July 2019
- "One on One: Jonathan Sigel, labor and employment partner at Mirick, O'Connell, DeMallie & Lougee," Telegram & Gazette, July 1, 2018
- "Could You be Liable for the Sins of Your Staffing Agency?," Mirick O'Connell Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Law Blog, July 2016
- Quoted in "New OT Rules Force Small Businesses to Make Hard Choices," Associated Press, May 2016
- Quoted in "Employers and Workers Grapple with Laws Allowing Marijuana Use," ABA Journal, December 2015
- "New Forms Required for Background Checks Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act," Mirick O'Connell Client Alert, January 16, 2013
- "The New Medical Marijuana Law: Must Massachusetts Employers Now Make Exceptions to Their Policies on Illegal Drug Use?," Mirick O'Connell Client Alert, December 18, 2012
- "Two Cases Remind Us of the Importance of Harassment Training," Mirick O'Connell Client Alert, September 7, 2012
- "Department of Veterans Affairs Asks Institutions of Higher Educations to Commit to Unannounced Principles of Excellence," Mirick O'Connell Client Alert, July 24, 2012
- "Beware: Increasing Regulatory Scrutiny of Employee/Independent Contract Misclassification," Mirick O'Connell Client Alert, October 6, 2011
Professional / Community Affiliations
- Jewish Federation's Governing Board, president (2018-2020); chair of 2009 Jewish Federation Campaign
- Worcester Community Action Council, former board member
- Community Legal Aid of Central MA, former board member (2014-2020)
- Corridor 9/495 Regional Chamber of Commerce, former board member (2017-2019)
- Worcester Art Museum, Trustee; chair of the Human Resources Committee
COVID-19 and Masks: Updated Guidance from OSHA and Massachusetts
On the heels of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (“CDC”) revised guidance that fully-vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks in many indoor or outdoor settings, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) announced May 17th …
[ load webpage to read more ]US Department of Labor Withdraws Independent Contractor Rule
On May 6, 2021, President Biden’s administration halted implementation of a rule published under the Trump administration which would have made it easier for businesses to classify workers as independent contractors instead of employees. The Trump regulation was supported by …
[ load webpage to read more ]Employer Tax Credits for Employee Paid Leave Due to COVID-19 Applies to Government Entities
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently published guidance defining “Eligible Employer” for purposes of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) tax credits. Under ARPA, certain employers can claim refundable tax credits that reimburse them for the costs of providing …
[ load webpage to read more ]COVID-19 Mandates in the Workplace
As we pass the one year anniversary of the COVID-19 Pandemic, new rules regarding COVID-19 mandates in the workplace are imminent. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) is preparing an Emergency Temporary Standard (the “Emergency Standard”) to better protect …
[ load webpage to read more ]American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and the anticipated Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Leave
In lieu of our annual Employment Law Seminar, Mirick O’Connell’s Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits attorneys are hosting a Spring Webinar Series focusing on hot topics in employment law. Attorney Kim Rozak and I presented the second program in the …
[ load webpage to read more ]DOL Publishes Model Notices for COBRA Subsidies
As we previously reported, on March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA”) into law, which includes a COBRA premium assistance program. Pursuant to ARPA, the Department of Labor (DOL) was instructed to issue model notices …
[ load webpage to read more ]American Rescue Plan Act Contains COBRA Subsidies
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA” or the “Act”) into law. The Act creates a six-month subsidy period, from April 1, 2021 to September 30, 2021, during which individuals who lost health …
[ load webpage to read more ]The American Rescue Plan and Paid Leave: What Employers Need to Know
On March 10, 2021, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. President Biden is expected to sign the Act into law by March 14, 2021. Employers are rightfully eager to learn whether the Act extends the Families First …
[ load webpage to read more ]Massachusetts Federal Court Denies Motion to Dismiss Defamation Claim After Employee is Escorted Out of Work Following Termination
By: Jonathan Sigel, Esq. and Ashlyn Dowd, Esq. The Federal District Court of Massachusetts recently denied a defendant company’s motion to dismiss a defamation claim following the termination of the company’s Vice President. The plaintiff former employee, Sandra Madden, was …
[ load webpage to read more ]EEOC Opinion Letter: Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA)
On January 14, 2021, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) finally issued an opinion letter addressing the long standing issue of whether information about non-U.S. citizen employees working outside of the United States must be included in the information disclosure …
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