Reid M. Wakefield
Reid is an attorney in the Firm's Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Group. He represents employers and their executives in litigation before federal and state courts and administrative agencies, including the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. His litigation practice focuses on the defense of employment claims, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, disability accommodations, wrongful termination, misclassification, breaches of employment agreements, and wage and hour laws. His litigation work also includes employee restrictive covenants, business torts, and civil rights claims.

Reid also regularly advises employers on day-to-day labor and employment issues and drafts employment agreements, severance agreements, handbooks, and workplace policies. Additionally, Reid conducts internal investigations for clients in workplace matters, including at the executive level.

Reid was included in the 2025 and 2024 editions of the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ for his work in Litigation – Labor and Employment. In 2024, Boston magazine and Law & Politics named Reid a Massachusetts “Rising Star.”

Prior to joining the Firm, Reid served as Commission Counsel for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and he previously worked in private practice in Tallahassee, Florida, as well as with the Florida Office of the Attorney General.


 

Bar & Court Admissions

  • Massachusetts
  • Florida
  • U.S. District Court for Massachusetts
  • U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • Florida State University JD (2009)
  • University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth BA, magna cum laude (2006)

Publications/Presentations

Professional / Community Affiliations

  • Worcester County Bar Association

Dartmouth College Men’s Basketball Team Held to Be Employees of Institution and Allowed to Unionize

In the Matter of Trustees of Dartmouth College & Service Employees International Union, Local 560, Case 01-RC-325633 (2024), the Regional Office of the National Labor Relations Board (the “NLRB” or the “Board”) has provided yet another expansion of the Board’s on-going …

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New California Non-Compete Law Prohibits Almost All Non-Compete Agreements and Requires Notice to Certain Current and Former Employees by February 14

California has long taken an extremely strong position against non-compete agreements, but new laws which took effect January 1, 2024 make that prohibition even stronger and impact employers nationwide who have any employees in California.  California now expressly prohibits any …

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Navigating Pay Transparency Laws: What Employers Need to Know

Over the last several years, in an effort to close the gender pay gap, several states and localities across the country have enacted pay transparency laws that, generally, require employers of certain sizes with employees in those locations to disclose …

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Private Employers Take Note: Overbroad Non-Disparagement & Confidentiality Restrictions in Severance Agreements Run Afoul of the National Labor Relations Act

As many employers well know, it is customary to include non-disparagement and confidentiality provisions in severance agreements that prohibit departing employees from (i) making disparaging, critical, or otherwise detrimental comments concerning the employer and (ii) disclosing information concerning the substance, …

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Is Your Company in Compliance With Executive Order 13706?

In September 2015, Executive Order 13706 was signed, requiring employers that enter into covered contracts with the federal government to provide covered employees with up to seven days (56 hours) of paid sick leave annually, including paid leave allowing for …

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SJC Finds Public Meeting Comment Restrictions Unconstitutional

Government boards and committees should review their public comment policies following a decision this week by the Supreme Judicial Court holding that a “civility code” violated the Massachusetts Constitution’s Declaration of Rights and the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act. In Barron v. …

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The FTC’s Proposed Ban On Noncompetes – Predictions

Following his election, President Biden issued “The Biden Plan for Strengthening Worker Organizing, Collective Bargaining and Unions,” in which he promised to work with Congress to “eliminate all non-compete agreements” with very limited exceptions. While a bipartisan bill, the Workforce …

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Update Policies to Comply with the Massachusetts CROWN Act

At the end of October 2022, the Massachusetts Act Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Natural and Protective Hairstyles (the “CROWN Act”) went into effect. The CROWN Act expands the definition of “race” under Chapter 151B to include “traits historically associated with …

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2023 Changes in Massachusetts Employment Laws

            Beginning January 1, 2023, changes to the Massachusetts Minimum Wage Law, retail premium pay, and Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Law take effect. Changes to Minimum Wage & Premium Pay Changes to Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) …

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Employers Must Remember Their Obligations under the Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

The Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (the “Act”), which went into effect on April 1, 2018, amended Massachusetts General Law c. 151B to include “pregnancy or a condition related to pregnancy, including, but not limited to, lactation, or the need …

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