Jeffrey L. Hirsch (“Jeff”) is an experienced attorney, author, and teacher who has practiced management labor and employment law for 44 years. During that time, Jeff has advised and represented hundreds of employers in many diverse fields, including higher education, healthcare, human services, manufacturing, transportation, hospitality, retail, food processing, textile, and many service industries. Since 1990, Jeff has also been the author of the widely used book “Labor and Employment in Massachusetts”, (with co-author Kathleen A. Berney since 2026.) and he has written similar books analyzing the laws of Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. Jeff also wrote the “Occupational Safety and Health Handbook,” which was distributed nationally. Jeff’s books have been relied upon by thousands of lawyers, executives, and human resources professionals around the United States. Jeff was inducted into the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers in 2005 and has been listed in the “Best Lawyers in America” continuously since 2007. Jeff has been ranked as a top labor and employment attorney by Chambers and Partners continuously since 2004. Most recently Chambers ranked Jeff in the esteemed “Senior Statespeople” category.
In addition, Jeff is a Fellow of the New Hampshire Bar Foundation, a Life Fellow of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a Sustaining Fellow of the Boston Bar Association Society of Fellows. Since 1983 Jeff has held an appointment as an Institute Fellow at the Human Resources Policy Institute at the Boston University Questrom School of Business. Jeff had the honor of serving under six consecutive Massachusetts governors as a Member of the Advisory Board of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) from 1995 to 2026. .
Jeff regularly represents employers in labor negotiations, labor arbitrations, union organizing drives, wage and hour cases, discrimination and wrongful discharge cases. He has appeared on behalf of his clients before dozens of state and federal agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board, United States Department of Labor, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, Massachusetts Attorney General’s Fair Labor Division, New Hampshire Human Rights Commission, New Hampshire Department of Labor, and state and federal courts.
A founding partner, Jeff like all HRW lawyers, also believes in effective proactive partnering with clients, and he spends a significant amount of time providing advice to senior leaders and presenting in-house educational and training programs to share knowledge and help clients avoid costly disruptions and disputes.
Collective Bargaining
