Employment Law for Individuals
Representing employees and executives in Massachusetts and New Hampshire
Who This Page Is For
If something went wrong at work, a termination, a discriminatory act, a non-compete handed to you with a deadline, a severance offer that doesn’t feel right, Whitney Law Group represents individuals. That means you: employees, executives, and professionals in Massachusetts and New Hampshire who need experienced employment counsel and a candid assessment of their situation.
Founder Mark M. Whitney spent more than 30 years on the other side of these disputes, representing the employers, insurance companies, and HR departments that make the decisions affecting employees’ careers. He founded Whitney Law Group to bring that insider perspective to individuals. That background is the firm’s core differentiator: your attorney has seen your situation from the employer’s perspective, knows how they build their cases, and knows where the weaknesses are.
Whitney Law Group handles employment matters in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, including the Seacoast and Rockingham County market, Greater Boston, and the North Shore. Offices in Marblehead, Boston’s Financial District, and Portsmouth, NH. AV Preeminent rated. 2025 Massachusetts Super Lawyer. Free consultations.
The Whitney Law Group Advantage for Individuals
Defense-side experience applied for you
Mark Whitney spent decades advising major employers on exactly the employment disputes individuals face, which means he understands how the other side evaluates risk, builds documentation, and decides when to settle. That knowledge now works for you.
MA and NH covered
Whitney Law Group practices employment law in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. For Seacoast professionals whose employment agreements are often governed by Massachusetts law even when the work is performed in NH, having counsel licensed in both states is essential.
Boutique attention, big-firm depth
Before founding WLG, Mark was a senior equity partner at Morgan, Brown & Joy, one of Boston’s oldest management-side employment boutiques, and practiced at two AmLaw 100 firms. Clients get that depth without the overhead or the runaround.
Three office locations
Marblehead, MA (main office) • Boston’s Financial District • Portsmouth, NH – plus virtual consultations statewide.
Employment Law Services for Individuals
Whitney Law Group handles the following practice areas for employees and executives in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Click any service for full detail on what it covers, what the process looks like, and what you can expect.
Whitney Law Group handles the full spectrum of workplace discrimination claims under Massachusetts Chapter 151B, New Hampshire RSA 354-A, and federal law, covering age, disability, gender, race, pregnancy, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, and gender identity. The firm also represents employees in sexual harassment, hostile work environment, and failure-to-accommodate claims before the MCAD, NHCHR, EEOC, and in state and federal court. Critical: Massachusetts sets a 300-day filing deadline from the discriminatory act; New Hampshire sets 180 days.
Mark Whitney led the non-compete and restrictive covenant practice at one of Boston’s largest management-side employment firms before founding WLG, giving every individual client access to the same analysis that employers use. Whitney Law Group reviews non-compete agreements before signing, challenges overreaching restrictions, negotiates buyouts and carve-outs, and defends employees facing cease-and-desist letters and injunction proceedings in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Senior executives face a distinct set of legal issues: complex compensation structures, equity arrangements, change-of-control provisions, for-cause termination definitions, and board-level dynamics. Whitney Law Group provides strategic counsel for C-suite, VP-level, and managing director clients, on the way in (offer and equity review), during tenure (compensation disputes, PIP response), and on the way out (separation negotiations, non-compete and equity protection).
Whitney Law Group reviews and negotiates the full range of employment-related contracts: offer letters, employment agreements, consulting and independent contractor agreements, nondisclosure agreements, non-solicitation agreements, IP assignment provisions, stay-on agreements, and equity grant documents. Every document an employer puts in front of you was drafted to protect the company. A review protects you.
A severance agreement is a permanent release of legal claims in exchange for money. Whitney Law Group evaluates proposed packages, values any underlying legal claims that may provide leverage, and negotiates improved terms in the majority of cases, more pay, equity acceleration, removal of non-compete provisions, better COBRA terms, and agreed reference language. The 21-day review clock under federal law exists for a reason, use it.
The laws governing how employers must pay employees are complex, and noncompliance, whether intentional or inadvertent, is still illegal. Whitney Law Group advises individuals on unpaid overtime, misclassification as independent contractors, unpaid commissions, minimum wage violations, and failure to pay accrued vacation under the Massachusetts Wage Act. Wage act violations can carry double damages and attorney’s fees, making enforcement viable even in smaller-dollar cases.
Group layoffs and reductions in force trigger a network of state and federal legal obligations, including the federal WARN Act (60 days’ advance notice for qualifying employers) and Massachusetts’ mini-WARN provisions. Whitney Law Group evaluates whether your employer met its notice and severance obligations, whether the RIF was used to disguise discriminatory terminations, and what additional benefits or damages you may be entitled to beyond what was offered.
Pay discrimination occurs when employees performing similar work receive different compensation based on a protected characteristic such as race, gender, disability, or age. Federal and Massachusetts law prohibit pay differentials without a legitimate, non-discriminatory justification. Whitney Law Group advises individuals who suspect they are being paid less than colleagues performing substantially similar work and handles equal pay claims under the federal Equal Pay Act and Massachusetts law.
Retaliation, adverse action by an employer against an employee who exercised a protected legal right, is independently unlawful and frequently a stronger claim than the underlying protected activity. Whitney Law Group handles retaliation claims arising from discrimination complaints, MCAD or EEOC filings, wage complaints, FMLA leave, workers’ compensation claims, whistleblower activity, and jury duty. Retaliation claims often significantly increase the total value of an employment case.
Employees who report illegal employer conduct, internally or to a government agency, are protected from retaliation under a network of state and federal whistleblower statutes. Protection depends on the type of illegal conduct reported and the industry involved. Whitney Law Group advises employees considering making a report, and represents those who have already reported and suffered retaliation. New Hampshire’s whistleblower statute (RSA 275-E) and Massachusetts law are both covered.
Massachusetts and New Hampshire are at-will employment states, but at-will doesn’t mean anything goes. Employers cannot terminate employees for discriminatory reasons, in retaliation for protected activity, or in violation of public policy or contract. Whitney Law Group evaluates wrongful termination claims quickly: was the stated reason a pretext? Was the timing suspicious? Were you the only person let go in a group that otherwise shares a protected characteristic? Candid answers, same day.
Serving Individuals Across Massachusetts and New Hampshire
Whitney Law Group represents individuals in employment disputes throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire, including:
- Greater Boston- Financial District, Back Bay, Seaport, Cambridge, Somerville, Newton, Brookline
- North Shore Massachusetts- Marblehead, Salem, Beverly, Gloucester, Newburyport, Peabody
- MetroWest and South Shore Massachusetts- Framingham, Waltham, Quincy, Brockton
- NH Seacoast- Portsmouth, Exeter, Dover, Newmarket, Hampton, Rye, Greenland, Newington
- Rockingham and Strafford Counties, NH
- Virtual consultations available statewide in both MA and NH
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