Mark Christopher Preiss

I am an employment law attorney experienced in both civil litigation and transactional practice settings. My civil litigation experience includes complex litigation defense in state and federal courts for claims covering contract, tort, commercial real estate, and insurance issues, as well as employer-side representation before the MCAD, EEOC, and in response to OSHA investigations. I have extensive experience in coordinating and conducting pre-trial discovery, investigating claims, deposing parties and witnesses, as well as in outlining litigation plans targeted at efficient, cost-effective resolution of claims.

My transactional practice experience includes advising company officers and human resources professionals concerning effective employment law risk management strategies and providing guidance on application of company policies and compliance with federal and state employment statutes, including the FMLA, FLSA and ADA, among others. I have written and conducted in-person training, as well as webinars, on employment law topics including FLSA exempt classification, religious and national origin discrimination, social media policy best practices, and pregnancy in the workplace, with audiences ranging from 50 to 350 attendees.

Additionally, I have experience drafting contracts, vendor agreements, employment agreements, employee handbooks, and have negotiated the resolution of claimed breaches of non-compete/non-disclosure agreements.

In addition, I have completed certified training with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) concerning prevention of discrimination in the workplace, including hiring, termination, benefits, and performance evaluations, and am included on the MCAD’s list of approved trainers for instruction concerning these issues for Massachusetts businesses.

I am admitted to practice law in the Comm. of Massachusetts, State of New York and the U. S. Dist. Court, Dist. of Mass.

Presentations include:

• March, 2016 - Presented training to human resources professionals concerning hidden sources of workplace discrimination, including national origin discrimination and religious discrimination.

• July, 2016 – Created reference tool for employers concerning compliance with FLSA exemption classification and the U.S. Dept. of Labor “Final Rule” concerning December 1, 2016 overtime exemption requirement changes.

• October, 2016 – Presented webinar concerning exempt classification under the Fair Labor Standards Act, including application of the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s “Final Rule.” Approx. 360 live attendees.

• October, 2016 – Presenter for municipal association’s annual member expo concerning best practices in preparing employer social media policies.

• February, 2017 – Presented webinar concerning pregnant employee rights in the workplace, before and after birth, including the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the FMLA, the ADA, lactation accommodation requirements and job performance management issues. Approx. 350 live attendees.

• May, 2017 – Presented webinar concerning application of the Fair Labor Standards Act following the stay imposed by the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas, on the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s “Final Rule” regarding application of new salary level requirements for exempt classification. Approx. 350 live attendees.