Recent News

Published on: January 31, 2020

Zalkind Law Attorneys Participate in Walk to the Hill to Support Funding for Legal Services

On January 30, 2020, a group of Zalkind Law attorneys participated in the 21^st annual Walk to the Hill to lobby the state legislature for increased funding for civil legal aid in FY21. While last year legal aid lawyers in Massachusetts were able to help 88,000 people with legal issues including health care, immigration, domestic violence, and housing, they had to turn away more than 100,000 eligible people who needed legal help. Zalkind Law attorneys visited their legislators’ offices to convey the importance of increasing funding so that more people in Massachusetts can get the legal representation they need.

Published on: January 28, 2020

Court Denies Harvard’s Motion to Dismiss the Firm’s Gender Discrimination and Freedom of Association Case

by Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP

A Suffolk Superior Court judge recently denied Harvard’s attempt to have a lawsuit brought against it on behalf of sororities thrown out of court. The lawsuit alleges that Harvard established a policy of sanctioning students who participate in single-sex organizations like sororities, denying them benefits available to other students, in a campaign of threats, intimidation, and coercion that virtually eliminated single-sex social options for Harvard women. The sororities claim that Harvard has engaged in discrimination on the basis of sex and interfered with rights to freedom of association. Zalkind Law’s Emma Quinn-Judge, David Russcol, Ana Muñoz, and Harvey Silverglate represent the sororities challenging Harvard’s actions, and succeeded in defeating Harvard’s motion in its entirety.

ZDB is Hiring!

by Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP

ZALKIND DUNCAN & BERNSTEIN LLP, a premier Boston criminal defense and civil litigation boutique, seeks an associate to start in fall 2020 or sooner. This progressive 12-lawyer law firm has a dynamic federal and state court practice, at both the trial and appellate levels. Our criminal practice includes crimes of violence, fraud and drug offenses, white collar crimes, and other felonies and misdemeanors. Our civil practice consists primarily of plaintiff-side employment matters, including discrimination cases, and representing students, faculty, and other employees accused of misconduct or facing discrimination at colleges and universities (including in Title IX proceedings). We also have a general civil litigation and complex motions practice.

We are looking for an associate with 1-2 years of experience and excellent research, analytical, and writing skills. Judicial clerkship a plus. Excellent benefits. More information about our firm can be found on our website: http://www.zalkindlaw.com.

Interested applicants should send their resume, law school transcript, writing sample (preferably 5-10 pages long, showing writing that has not been substantially edited or revised by anyone other than the author), and a cover letter to Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP, 65a Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02110, attn: Associate Hiring, or e-mail these items to resume@zalkindlaw.com with “application for associate position” in the subject line. Applicants who are available to begin employment before fall 2020 should include such information in their cover letters. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and should be submitted no later than January 31, 2020.

Published on: January 2, 2020

Naomi R. Shatz Becomes ZDB’s Newest Partner

by Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP

Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP is proud to announce that Naomi Shatz has joined the firm’s partnership effective January 1, 2020. Naomi will continue her litigation practice in employment, students’ rights, and Title IX matters. For more information about Naomi’s background and experience, find her biography here.

Published on: December 20, 2019

Naomi Shatz Selected for WBA’s Women’s Leadership Initiative

by Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP

Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP is proud to announce that Attorney Naomi Shatz has been selected by the Women’s Bar Association to participate in its 2020 Women’s Leadership Initiative class. Established in 2009, the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) is a program that brings together senior women attorneys and up and coming stars of the legal profession for leadership development and mentoring. WLI alumni include Attorney General Maura Healey and other high-ranking government attorneys, law firm partners, and accomplished in-house attorneys. Congratulations, Naomi!

Published on: November 22, 2019

Inga Bernstein wins Dismissal of Strangulation Charges

by Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP

Inga Bernstein won a major victory for a client charged with strangulation and assault on a family member after a pretrial evidentiary hearing. She defeated the prosecutors’ attempt to use the statements a non-testifying alleged victim made to police investigators. All charges have been dropped.

Published on: November 7, 2019

David Duncan and Norman Zalkind Win Not Guilty on Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon Charge

by Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP

On November 6, 2019, David Duncan and Norman Zalkind won a not guilty verdict after trial for their client charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in the district court in Boston. The jury did not reach a verdict on a charge of assault and battery, which remains pending.

Published on: November 7, 2019

ZDB is Hiring!

by Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP

ZALKIND DUNCAN & BERNSTEIN LLP, a premier Boston criminal defense and civil litigation boutique, seeks an associate to start in January 2020 or sooner. This progressive 12-lawyer law firm has a dynamic federal and state court practice, at both the trial and appellate levels. Our criminal practice includes crimes of violence, fraud and drug offenses, white collar crimes, and other felonies and misdemeanors. Our civil practice consists primarily of plaintiff-side employment matters, including discrimination cases, and representing students, faculty, and other employees accused of misconduct or facing discrimination at colleges and universities (including in Title IX proceedings). We also have a general civil litigation and complex motions practice.

We are looking for an associate with 1-2 years of experience and excellent research, analytical, and writing skills. Judicial clerkship a plus. Excellent benefits.

Interested applicants should send their resume, law school transcript, writing sample (preferably 5-10 pages long, showing writing that has not been substantially edited or revised by anyone other than the author), and a cover letter to Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP, 65a Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02110, attn: Associate Hiring, or e-mail these items to resume@zalkindlaw.com with “application for associate position” in the subject line. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Published on: November 4, 2019

Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP Ranked in US News’ 2020 “Best Law Firms”

by Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP

Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP is proud to announce that the firm has been named in US News’ “Best Law Firms” for yet another year! This 2020 accolade ranks the firm as Metro Tier 1 in three separate categories: Criminal Defense – General Practice, Criminal Defense – White Collar, and Employment – Individuals.

Firms included in the 2020 “Best Law Firms” list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Receiving a tier designation reflects the high level of respect a firm has earned among other leading lawyers and clients in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism and their integrity.

Published on: October 31, 2019

Massachusetts Appeals Court Upholds Jury Verdict Finding That City of Boston Discriminated and Retaliated Against a Longtime Black Employee Who Was Called “Uppity” by Former First Assistant Collector-Treasurer

by Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP

Today the Massachusetts Appeals Court vindicated Chantal Charles, a black woman and longtime public servant, who had won a nearly $11 million verdict in 2015 in her race discrimination and retaliation case against the City of Boston and the City’s First Assistant Collector-Treasurer Vivian Leo. The Appeals Court issued a unanimous 45-page decision affirming the jury’s verdict that the City and Ms. Leo discriminated and retaliated against Ms. Charles and granted Ms. Charles’ appeal of the trial court’s decision to reduce the punitive damages verdict.

Ms. Charles is an outstanding employee who has worked in the City’s Treasury Department for thirty-three years, managing the Edward Ingersoll Browne Trust and other trusts, and has dedicated her career to beautifying and improving the city’s parks and neighborhoods. Despite her excellent performance, Ms. Charles has never been promoted. The Treasury Division generally has failed to promote black employees to higher level management positions and is one of the least racially diverse departments in the City with one of the highest pay gaps between white and non-white employees. Ms. Charles’ longtime supervisor left his position after Ms. Leo called Ms. Charles “aloof, non-deferential, and uppity” and insisted that he give her a poor performance review, which he refused to do because it was unwarranted. Following his departure, Ms. Charles continued to experience discrimination and was passed over for promotion to his position twice.

After hearing the evidence at trial, the jury found that the City and Ms. Leo engaged in a “consistently enforced pattern and practice of discrimination” against black employees. The jury also found that the City and Ms. Leo retaliated against Ms. Charles for filing a charge of discrimination at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.