Tracy Thomas Boland

Tracy Boland counsels clients on the full range of employment law issues from hiring to firing including performance management, investigations, wage and hour issues, leaves of absence and the accommodations process, discrimination and harassment issues and investigations and reductions in force. She particularly enjoys supporting clients as they work through novel and emerging legal issues such as pay equity and the ever-growing number of paid leave laws. Clients also rely on her to draft and revise employee handbooks, employment agreements, and severance and settlement agreements. When a clients compliance is tested, Tracy represents them before Federal and State administrative agencies, courts and in arbitration. Her experience in litigation includes leading clients successfully through jury trials and oral argument before the First Circuit Court of Appeals. She also has extensive experience and success in preserving client resources by resolving matters through settlement. Tracy is proud to maintain strong relationships with clients with both a local and broader geographic presence that run the gamut from non-profit organizations to small businesses to leaders in their respective industries. Tracys experience spans across many industries such as private clubs, healthcare, banking, non-profit and technology. Clients recognize and appreciate Tracys empathy as they navigate the challenges of running a business today, especially in Massachusetts. Her practical advice and counsel go beyond just telling clients what the law provides; Tracy takes the entire business into consideration. Tracy works in partnership with clients, as a fellow business owner, to find a way to make it all work, realizing that the path forward likely will be different for each of the firms valued clients. Tracy is an experienced trainer, having completed the MCADs Certified Harassment and Discrimination Train-the-Trainer Courses. She is a frequent lecturer on traditional and developing employment law issues and a member of and active speaker for many trade and Human Resources-focused organizations. Tracy has published numerous articles and given interviews on employment law topics in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, the Boston Business Journal and various trade publications. Before Bowditch Before joining Bowditch, Tracy was a partner at an employment law firm. Prior to that, she practiced at a global law firm and served as a judicial law clerk with the Massachusetts Superior Court and Massachusetts Probate and Family Court. Besides work One of Tracys regrets in life is not adding chef to her resume so she is regularly cooking or baking. To counter the impact of that, Tracy does not sit down very much and you can find her working out, running or trying to walk as fast as her tall twin teenage boys. Tracy has been known to stop moving for a good cocktail or book. Affiliations Member, Boston Bar Association Member, Massachusetts Bar Association Member, Womens Bar Association Member, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Member, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals Member, The Boston Club Member, New England Club Managers Association Community Involvement + Pro Bono City Years Women in Leadership Committee Walker, Inc. Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech Medfield Food Pantry Friends of Medfield High School Theater Society Global Volunteers Honors Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Top Women of Law Best Lawyers in America, Litigation - Labor and Employment (2022 - 2026) Massachusetts Super Lawyer, Employment Litigation Articles + Talks Articles Rhode Island Employers Should Take Note of Key Changes to State Employment Laws, Bowditch, 2025 Supreme Court Clarifies Law on So-called Reverse Discrimination Claims, Bowditch, 2025 Federal District Court Vacates EEOC Guidance on Transgender Workplace Protections, Bowditch, 2025 Federal Agencies Release Much-Anticipated Guidance on DEI in the Workplace, Bowditch, 2025 NLRB Shakeup - General Counsel Scraps Dozens of Biden-Era Policy Memoranda, Bowditch, 2025 Recent Shifts in Wage and Hour Law - Paid Time Off During FMLA Leave and Exempt Employee Status Challenges, Bowditch, 2025 Federal Court Overturns DOLs New Overtime Rule, Bowditch, 2024 Massachusetts and Connecticut Both Set to Expand Scope of Benefits for Sick Employees, Bowditch, 2024 Connecticut Legislature Passes Significant Expansion of Paid Sick Leave Benefits for Employees, Bowditch, 2024 DOL Announces Final Rule Increasing Minimum Salary Levels for FLSA Overtime Exemptions, Bowditch, 2024 EEOC Publishes Final Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Regulations, Bowditch, 2024 Proposed Changes in Massachusetts that Would Bar Use of Credit Reports by Employers, Bowditch, 2024 Changes to MA PFML - Topping Off and New 2024 Benefit Rates, Bowditch, 2023 U. S. Department of Labor Seeks to Expand Overtime Protections, Bowditch, 2023 MA Federal Court Issues Favorable Ruling for Employers in Case Involving COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate and Request for Religious Exemption, Bowditch, 2023 DHS Announces New Form I-9 and Remote Inspection Option Designed to Modernize I-9 Process for Employers, Bowditch, 2023 U. S. Supreme Court Clarifies Religious Accommodation Standard After Nearly Half a Century, Bowditch, 2023 NLRB Narrows Independent Contractor Definition, Bowditch, 2023 The End of Remote I-9 Verification, Bowditch, 2023 NLRB General Counsel Issues Guidance Regarding Confidentiality and Non-Disparagement Provisions Post-McLaren Macomb, Bowditch, 2023 Department of Labor Issues Guidance Relative to Remote Employees, Bowditch, 2023 Updated Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act Regulations Issued, Bowditch, 2023 The First Circuit Takes a Deeper Look into Employee Exemption Decisions, Bowditch, 2023 New Year, New Protections for Pregnant and Lactating Employees, Restrictions on Pre-Dispute Non-Disclosure and Non-Disparagement Provisions, Bowditch, 2023 Important and Time-Sensitive Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Updates; Proposed Amendments to PFML Regulations; Looking Back at FY22, Bowditch, 2022 EEOC Releases Updated Know Your Rights Poster, Bowditch, 2022 Department of Labor Seeks to Alter Independent Contractor Classification, Bowditch, 2022 NLRB Proposes Expanded Standard for Joint-Employer Status, Bowditch, 2022 Pandemic to Permanent? Proposed Changes to the I-9 Verification Process, Bowditch, 2022 Connecticut Private Employer Law Update, Bowditch, 2022 New Massachusetts Law Prohibits Discrimination Based on Hairstyle, Bowditch, 2022 EEOC Issues Updated COVID-19 Workplace Guidance, Bowditch, 2022 Rhode Island Enacts Tip Protection Law, Bowditch, 2022 Connecticut Paid Leave Act and Family Medical Leave Act Notice Requirements as of July 1, 2022, Bowditch, 2022 Employment Law Updates for Massachusetts and Rhode Island Employers, Bowditch, 2022 Wage Act Updates: Massachusetts Highest Court Finds Limited FLSA Preemption of Wage Act Remedies and Employers Should Prepare for Potential Wage-Related Changes to Come, Bowditch, 2022 Department of Homeland Security Announces End to COVID-19 Temporary Policy for Expired List B Identity Documents, Bowditch, 2022 U. S. Department of Labor Releases Guidance on Protecting Workers From Retaliation, Bowditch, 2022 EEOC Issues Guidance Regarding COVID-19 Caregiver Discrimination, Bowditch, 2022 EEOC Issues Updated Guidance Regarding Religious Objections to COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements, Bowditch, 2022 Massachusetts Emergency Paid Sick Leave to End March 15, Bowditch, 2022 OSHA Withdraws its COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard, Bowditch, 2022 Supreme Court Rules on COVID-19 Vaccine/Testing Requirements - Big Business Mandate Blocked, Health Care Mandate Revived, Bowditch, 2022 Updates Relating to OSHAs Emergency Vaccination/Testing Requirements for Employers with 100 or More Employees and the CDCs New Isolation and Quarantine Guidelines, Bowditch, 2022 Sixth Circuit Breathes New Life into OSHAs Emergency Temporary Standard Mandating Vaccination or Testing for Private Employers with 100 or More Employees, Bowditch, 2021 Massachusetts AG Releases Guidance for Employers Regarding Costs of COVID-19 Testing and Face Masks, Bowditch, 2021 EEOC Issues Guidance on COVID-19 and Disability Protections Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Bowditch, 2021 Federal Contractor Vaccine Mandate Temporarily Blocked Nationwide, Bowditch, 2021 OSHA Issues Emergency Temporary Standard Mandating Vaccination or Testing for Private Employers with 100 or More Employees, Bowditch, 2021 Updated Employer Guidance on COVID-19 Vaccination Mandates Issues by Both the EEOC and Safer Federal Workforce Task Force, Bowditch, 2021 A Busy Week - Massachusetts Extends Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Makes Changes to Paid Family and Medical Leave Contribution Rates and Benefits, Bowditch, 2021 Talks Employment Law Coffee Break, Bowditch, 2024 Build A Foundation or Dig Yourself A Hole: Employment Law Fundamentals for Field Staff and HR Professionals, Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts, 2023 10th Annual Mentoring Monday, Boston Business Journal, 2023 Where Are My Employees and How Are They Doing?, Bowditch Employment Law Update, 2023 The Transformed Workplace: Retain and Recruit During a Workforce Shortage, Boston Business Journal, 2022 (Moderator) 13th Annual Employment Law Update - Part 1, Bowditch, 2022 Hot Topics for Employers to Know for 2022, Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts, 2022 OSHAs COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard: What Employers Must Know, Metro West HRMA, 2021 OSHAs COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard: What Employers Must Know, Bowditch, 2021 Legal Chat with Tracy Thomas Boland, Association of Employment Professionals, 2021 Vaccine Mandates: Key Elements, Exceptions, and Best Practices, Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts, 2021 Bar Admissions Massachusetts Connecticut Education J. D., cum laude, New England School of Law B. A., University of Vermont