Jonathan R. Sigel
Partner
Legal Administrative Assistant Jessica K. Rubin
Jonathan is a Partner in the Firm’s 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.
Jonathan has been named a Massachusetts “Super Lawyer” by Boston magazine and Law & Politics every year since 2009. He was included in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for Employment Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment. He has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® since 2013. In addition, Jonathan was named the Best Lawyers® Employment Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year” in Westborough, 2021 and 2023. 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.
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
- Quoted in “Employer’s Guide to Drug Testing in the Workplace,” Technology Advise, February 15, 2023
- “2023 Changes in Massachusetts Employment Laws” Mirick O’Connell Client Alert, January 5, 2023
- “Employers Must Remember Their Obligations under the Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act,” Mirick O’Connell Client Alert, October 27, 2022
- "MA Employers Must Pay Final Wages or Face Treble Damages," On Air with Mirick O’Connell legal podcast (May 6, 2022)
- “Don't Delay: MA Employers Are Now Strictly Liable for Three Times the Amount of Wages for Late Payments With No Safe Harbor for Paying in Full Prior to Suit! Mirick O’Connell Client Alert, April 8, 2022
- Quoted in "What benefits are required for summer employees?," Boston.com, March 28, 2022
- "OSHA's COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) - Temporarily Blocked," Mirick O'Connell Client Alert, November 8, 2021
- “Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave,” On Air with Mirick O’Connell legal podcast (August 16, 2021)
- “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
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 …
[ load webpage to read more ]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 …
[ load webpage to read more ]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 …
[ load webpage to read more ]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, …
[ load webpage to read more ]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 …
[ load webpage to read more ]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. …
[ load webpage to read more ]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 …
[ load webpage to read more ]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 …
[ load webpage to read more ]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) …
[ load webpage to read more ]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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