Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP

05/27/2026

05/26/2026

Zalkind Law's Emma Quinn-Judge spoke to Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly about a recent SJC decision on retaliation claims. Attorney Quinn-Judge noted that in making its holding, “[t]he court in a couple of places says that a jury could have reasonably found that Robinson was engaging in protected activity when he complained about male firefighters being treated differently from his niece — even though he testified that he never referenced gender directly . . . That’s very important because most of the time when people make complaints, they’re not lawyers so they’re not going to HR and saying, ‘This is gender discrimination.’”

The Supreme Judicial Court upheld a $1.31 million employment retaliation verdict despite flawed jury instructions blending mixed-motive and pretext language.

05/26/2026

Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly writes about our lawsuit on behalf of bar advocates. Zalkind Law attorney Monica Shah explains that the law "should not prescribe criminal prosecution and related penalties for individuals who are engaging in their right not to work.”

The Massachusetts Association of Private Appointed Counsel is asking the Supreme Judicial Court to block a state law enacted last summer that threatens criminal and civil antitrust penalties against lawyers who, in protest of low pay, stop accepting cases representing indigent clients.

05/22/2026

On our blog: Attorney Jacob Bezner discusses the pending MA legislation restricting teens' access to social media:

Last month, the Massachusetts State House passed a bill (H. 5366) that would have the Commonwealth join fifteen other states in banning cell phones in public schools statewide and twenty-seven ...

05/21/2026

This week the SJC confirmed that the state's sexual harassment statute allows for suits against individual harassers in the education context. Attorney Niamh Gibbons discusses the decision on our blog:

In a decision issued this week, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) held that victims of sexual harassment in academic settings may sue individual harassers directly under G.L. c. 214, ...

05/20/2026

The The Boston Globe editorial board on our ghost network lawsuit: "As the lawsuit notes, insurance companies have a financial incentive to publish robust network directories that lure people to their plans. But the insurers save money, at least in the short term, if the person forgoes mental health care or gets care out-of-network, where the insurer either pays less or doesn’t cover it at all. That harms patients." Read more:

State should enforce law requiring insurers to maintain accurate provider directories

05/08/2026

Lawyers who represent the indigent should not face prosecution when they seek fair pay for their work. This week, Monica Shah and Jacob Bezner filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Massachusetts Association of Private Appointed Counsel (MAPAC) and six indigent defense attorneys challenging a new law that illegally imposes punitive antitrust penalties on private assigned counsel who stop taking new cases until they are fairly compensated.

Our firm is proud to stand up for attorneys who champion the rights of indigent communities.

Read more:
https://www.bostonlawyerblog.com/recent_news/zalkind-law-challenges-massachusetts-law-targeting-indigent-defense-attorneys/

05/07/2026

Health insurers must deliver on the benefits consumers pay for.

Today we, alongside co-counsel Po***ck Cohen LLP and Walden Macht Haran & Williams, filed suit against insurers who misled customers with false promises of in-network mental health coverage that never existed.

We look forward to vindicating the rights of the affected class and pushing for systemic change in a system that leaves too many without the care they need. Read more about the case: https://www.bostonlawyerblog.com/recent_news/ghost-network-class-action-lawsuit-filed-against-harvard-pilgrim-healthcare-and-point32-health/