Diane Saunders is a Shareholder in the Boston office. Ms. Saunders has been helping employers solve their employment issues and disputes for over 18 years. Representative matters include wage and hour, trade secret and non-competition issues, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, and workplace torts and contract disputes. In addition to her trial practice in state and federal courts, as well as before administrative agencies and arbitrators, Ms. Saunders regularly handles appeals in state and federal courts. Ms. Saunders also has significant expertise in defending class and collective actions.
Ms. Saunders provides day-to-day advice and counseling to her clients on a wide variety of employment issues, such as wage and hour compliance, making reasonable accommodations, handling leave of absence issues, disciplining and terminating employees, investigating claims of harassment, and protecting trade secrets and confidential information. Ms. Saunders regularly reviews employment handbooks and personnel policies, drafts employment agreements and non-competition agreements, and conducts wage and hour audits for her clients.
Ms. Saunders has been recognized for several years as one of the leading employment lawyers in the Massachusetts and New England editions of Super Lawyers. Ms. Saunders is a frequent speaker at education programs for attorneys, human resources professionals, business owners and managers. Ms. Saunders was a contributing author of the MCAD Guidelines: Employment Discrimination on the Basis of Handicap-Chapter 151B (1998) and the MCAD Guidelines: Guidelines on the Massachusetts Maternity Leave Act, M.G.L. c. 149, §105D (2000).
Immediately following her graduation from law school, she served as a law clerk for the Honorable Richard S. Salzman, District of Columbia Superior Court. She then practiced employment and civil rights law at the New York City Corporation Counsel’s office under former Mayor Rudolf Giuliani, before moving to Boston.
Experience
Massachusetts
New York
U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts
U.S. District Court, Eastern and Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
U.S. Court of Appeals, First, Second and Third Circuits
Education and Honors
- New England Super Lawyers (2011)
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers (2006-2011)
- AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Articles Editor, American University Law Review
- Paul Evans Award - Outstanding Senior in History (University of Vermont)
Professional Activities
- Defense Research Institute (Labor and Employment Section)
- National Retail Federation (Committee on Employment Law)
- American Bar Association (Labor and Employment, Litigation Sections)
- Massachusetts Bar Association (Labor and Employment Section, former Section Council Member and Committee Chair)
- New York State Bar Association (Labor and Employment Section)
- Boston Bar Association (Labor and Employment Section)
- Massachusetts Women’s Bar Association (Board Member, Committee Chair)
- Massachusetts Bar Foundation (Fellow)
In The News
- March 19, 2012 - Ogletree Deakins Publication - "Massachusetts eAuthority"
- March 19, 2012 - Ogletree Deakins Publication - "Change in Compensation Voids Massachusetts Non-Compete Agreement"
- October 26, 2011 - Ogletree Deakins Publication - "Court Extends Massachusetts Wage Act Coverage to Out-of-State Employees"
