Charlotte Marie Petilla (“Charlotte”) is a labor and employment attorney who partners with employers to manage risk, resolve complex workplace issues, and support day-to-day operations. She represents businesses, human service providers, advocacy organizations, colleges, universities, and other employers in labor, employment, and related commercial matters.
In her role as a trusted advisor, Charlotte provides practical, strategic advice tailored to each client’s unique business goals and culture. She regularly advises senior leaders on terminations and reductions in force, workplace investigations, accommodations and leaves of absence, anti-discrimination compliance, restrictive covenants, and wage-and-hour issues.
Charlotte also advises and represents employers in traditional labor matters, including collective bargaining and day-to-day labor relations. She appears before the National Labor Relations Board in both representation and unfair labor practice proceedings.
Consistent with HRW’s proactive approach, Charlotte also designs and delivers training for executives, managers and supervisors to enhance their legal knowledge, people management skills, strengthen compliance, and reduce the likelihood of disputes.
Charlotte is an experienced litigator in employment, labor, and business matters. She has represented employers before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and the National Labor Relations Board. She has handled complex disputes in state and federal courts involving contracts, fraud, wage and hour matters, employment discrimination and retaliation, restrictive covenants, intellectual property, and unfair and deceptive trade practices.
Charlotte brings a varied background to her practice at HRW. She served as a law clerk for the Honorable Raya Dreben of the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Honorable Francis X. Spina of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, and the Honorable Joan M. Azrack of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Charlotte later practiced at a large Boston-based firm, where she focused on patents, trade secrets, insurance regulation, licensing agreements, and other business matters. Most recently, Charlotte was the Vice President of People and General Counsel for a high-growth company with restaurants and manufacturing facilities in several states.
