slnlaw

This practice was founded by attorney Emily Smith-Lee in 2009, after she had spent thirteen years as an associate and then a partner in the Boston office of a large international law firm.Since 2009, we have helped hundreds of people and small businesses navigate employment law problems, resolve employment and business disputes, and make sure their families are protected with wills, trusts, and other important estate planning documents.

Our knowledge of the law is one of the tools we bring to the table, but who we really are are problem solvers.We care about your goals and your priorities.You may have heard the saying that to a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail...Well, we are litigators, and if need be we are happy to take your case to trial, but what is most important to us is recommending the best strategy to reach your goals.?
We have offices in Sharon, Massachusetts and Chester, Massachusetts, and have helped clients throughout the state.
?Who We Are
Our team includes attorneys with large law firm experience, public service experience, experience working with small businesses on a wide variety of matters, an attorney with an advanced degree (LLM), and a former clerk to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.Attorney and founder Emily Smith-Lee has been named to the Massachusetts Super Lawyer list every year since 2013, and was recently named a 2018 Lawyer of the Year by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.Our lead estate planning attorney Jenna Ordway has been recognized as a top estate planning attorney, and has published a book about estate planning in Massachusetts.Read more about our publications and interviews.

The attorneys are supported by a paralegal who helps manage the litigation process, two legal assistants who help with all aspects of the process, and a senior consultant who works with clients from the initial consultation through the life of their legal matters.All of these individuals- the attorneys and non-attorneys- meet daily to discuss our open matters, to make sure that we are using our combined expertise to its fullest, and that everyone on our team is connected to our clients and their matters.

?Our team is made up of people who could work anywhere, but choose to work here because we help real people with real problems every single day.We invite you to learn more about our attorneys by visiting our team page.
What We Do
Employment Law: We advise both businesses and individuals about Massachusetts and federal employment laws, and represent them as needed in litigation if a lawsuit cannot be avoided.Services for employees include severance review, review of non-compete agreements, assessment of legal claims and prosecution of wage and hour, harassment, and discrimination lawsuits.Services for businesses include employee policy review, compliance review, counseling on termination and discipline, and defense of employee lawsuits.

Business Law: In addition to providing advice on employment matters, we can help you set up your new business, review your agreements with vendors and customers, resolve or litigate business disputes, and much more.We also have cultivated a network of professionals that serve small businesses in areas outside of our practice, and have frequently served as a resource for our business clients even when we can't help them directly.If you are in a position where your business needs legal advice on a regular basis, especially for proactive preventative issues, our small business membership program also offers regular access to our business and employment attorneys for our business members.

Estate Planning: We provide customized plans for individuals and families to help minimize your estate tax liability, protect and preserve your assets, and ensure that the people in your life are taken care of the way that you want.We can help you with wills and trusts, planning for a child with special needs, planning for the cost of long term care, and more.

We also have an extensive network of other professionals, some lawyers in other practice areas and others who are non-lawyer professionals who offer services that our clients frequently need.If the problem you need solved is not one that we handle, we are happy to provide a referral to someone we know you can trust.
Why We Do What We Do
It's really pretty simple- to help people.In the employment law context, we started this practice in 2009, at the height of one of the worst economic downturns of most of our lifetimes.We met so many people struggling with job loss, income reduction, and flat out wage theft.We learned how satisfying it can be to solve just one important problem for one person.We also met many small business owners fighting to keep afloat in uncertain times who could not afford an employee lawsuit and wanted to do the right thing with their workforce, and just needed a little help and expert advice.As things improved in the economy, we continued to see people grappling with employment issues, as problems like discrimination, company reorganizations, and wage and hour non compliance just don't go away.

We also love working with small business owners and start up companies.We have lived this journey as well- we are lawyers but we are also a small business that has faced many of the same challenges you may be facing.Every time we see a former business client's sign on the roadside, vehicle on the highway, or advertisement it brings a smile to know that they are growing and flourishing and that we helped along the way by removing one obstacle or another.

Finally, the relief we see on clients' faces when they complete their estate planning documents is a wonderful sight.The combination of thinking about your own mortality and beating yourself up for not taking care of something as important as estate planning turns out to be more of an emotional burden than people realize, until that moment when it is all taken care of and they can move on.
slnlaw in the community
Our commitment to helping others does not end at the doors to our law office.Founder Emily Smith-Lee served for eight years as an elected member of the Sharon School Committee, and is currently serving as a member of the Sharon Board of Selectmen.Attorney Aileen Konanez stays involved in her community by providing volunteer legal services for individuals facing eviction and housing discrimination issues.In his spare time, Attorney Jack Thaler works with Black Cat Rescue and the Animal Rescue League of Boston as a dedicated foster parent for both dogs and cats.We are also proud sponsors of a team in the Sharon Men's Softball League, and sponsor local events and activities as often as possible.