Bret is Co-chair of the firm’s Employee Mobility, Noncompetes & Trade Secrets Practice. His practice includes representing employers in labor and employment litigation, including claims arising under FLSA, Title VII, ADA, ADEA, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 151B, Massachusetts Wage Act, as well as state common law, breach of contract, wrongful termination, and defamation claims. Bret has extensive experience litigating noncompetition and nonsolicitation agreements and executive compensation agreements.
He frequently lectures on practice before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and on practice before the state and federal courts. Bret writes and lectures extensively on employment law issues, and has served as a contributing author for the Employment Litigation chapter of the Annual Review of Developments in Business and Corporate Litigation, American Bar Association for a number of years.
Bret’s commitment to pro bono activities is exemplified by his representation of abused women through Mintz Levin’s nationally recognized Domestic Violence Project.
Recognitions & Awards
- Fellow, Massachusetts Bar Foundation
- Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly: “Top Five Up-and-Coming Lawyers in the Commonwealth” (2000)
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers: Employment & Labor (2007 – 2012)
- Super Lawyers United States Corporate Counsel Edition (2010)
- Chambers USA: Massachusetts – Labor and Employment (2004 – 2013)
- American Jurisprudence Award
- Everett E. Hullverson Award
Professional & Community Involvement
- Former chair, Joint Bar Committee for Judicial Appointments
- Chair, American Bar Association Subcommittee on Employment Litigation (2003 – 2009)
- Former president, Board of Directors of the Natick Montessori School
Bret is Co-chair of the firm’s Employee Mobility, Noncompetes & Trade Secrets Practice. His practice includes representing employers in labor and employment litigation, including claims arising under FLSA, Title VII, ADA, ADEA, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 151B, Massachusetts Wage Act, as well as state common law, breach of contract, wrongful termination, and defamation claims. Bret has extensive experience litigating noncompetition and nonsolicitation agreements and executive compensation agreements.
He frequently lectures on practice before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and on practice before the state and federal courts. Bret writes and lectures extensively on employment law issues, and has served as a contributing author for the Employment Litigation chapter of the Annual Review of Developments in Business and Corporate Litigation, American Bar Association for a number of years.
Bret’s commitment to pro bono activities is exemplified by his representation of abused women through Mintz Levin’s nationally recognized Domestic Violence Project.
Recognitions & Awards
- Fellow, Massachusetts Bar Foundation
- Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly: “Top Five Up-and-Coming Lawyers in the Commonwealth” (2000)
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers: Employment & Labor (2007 – 2012)
- Super Lawyers United States Corporate Counsel Edition (2010)
- Chambers USA: Massachusetts – Labor and Employment (2004 – 2013)
- American Jurisprudence Award
- Everett E. Hullverson Award
Professional & Community Involvement
- Former chair, Joint Bar Committee for Judicial Appointments
- Chair, American Bar Association Subcommittee on Employment Litigation (2003 – 2009)
- Former president, Board of Directors of the Natick Montessori School
Publications
-
Co-author,
FTC Does Not Embrace Dentist Board’s Anticompetitive Activity, Health Care Antitrust Alert ()
-
Author,
The HR-Legal Partnership, Human Resource Executive ()
-
Co-author,
Two Recent Massachusetts Cases Support an Employer’s Ability to Enforce Noncompete Agreements, Employment, Labor & Benefits Alert ()
-
Editor,
Annual Review of Developments in Business and Corporate Litigation, American Bar Association ()
-
FTC Orders Roanoke Hospital To Divest Recently Acquired Outpatient Clinics To Restore Competition, Health Care Antitrust Alert ()
Speaking Engagements
-
Speaker,
2013 Annual Review of Developments in Business and Corporate Litigation,
American Bar Association, Chicago, IL
-
Co-chair,
Traps for the Unwary: Drafting Non-Competes and Other Post-Employment Restrictions,
Boston Bar Association, Boston, MA
-
Moderator,
The 2012 Annual Review of Developments in Business and Corporate Litigation,
ABA Business Law Spring Meeting,
American Bar Association, Las Vegas, NV
-
Speaker,
US Visa and Green Card Options for Dentists,
Yankee Dental Congress 2012,
Boston, MA
-
Panelist,
The 2011 Annual Review of Developments in Business and Corporate Litigation - Bret Cohen, Chair; Steve Ganis, Panelist,
ABA Business Law Section Spring Meeting ,
ABA, Boston, MA
-
Chair,
2011 Annual Review of Developments in Business and Corporate Litigation,
ABA Business Law Section Spring Meeting,
American Bar Association, Boston, MA
-
Speaker,
Labor & Employment: Legislation Year in Review and What Is to Come,
Boston Bar Association, Boston, MA
-
Speaker,
Top 5 Employment Law Trends It Pays to Know,
MCLE
-
Speaker,
The 2010 Annual Review of Developments in Business and Corporate Litigation,
ABA Business Law Section Spring Meeting,
American Bar Association
-
Speaker,
Employment Law Practice,
Labor & Employment Class,
Boston College
-
Speaker,
Harassment and Discrimination,
SES Seminar
-
Panelist,
Damages in Employment Discrimination and Retaliation Cases,
Boston Bar Association
-
Speaker,
Layoffs and Lawsuits,
In House Legal,
LegalTalkNetwork
-
Speaker,
Settlement Strategies Surrounding Employment Matters,
Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education Conference on Employment Law, Boston, MA
-
Speaker,
Treble Trouble: Protecting Yourself Against the Penalties Associated with the Wage Act,
2008 Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Conference,
Andover, MA
-
Speaker,
Keeping Management Out of Trouble: Avoiding Sexual Harassment in the Workplace,
MASS Biotech
Newsroom
-
Forty-Seven Mintz Levin Attorneys Featured in Chambers USA 2013 Guide, ()
-
Seventy-One Mintz Levin Attorneys Named 2012 Massachusetts Super Lawyers and Rising Stars , ()
-
Forty-One Mintz Levin Attorneys Featured in Chambers USA 2012 Guide, ()
-
Quoted in
Noncompete Litigation Picks Up as the Economy Improves, Boston Business Journal ()
-
Fifty-Two Mintz Levin Attorneys Recognized as Massachusetts Super Lawyers, ()
-
Thirty Four Mintz Levin Attorneys Featured in Chambers USA 2011 Guide, ()
-
Forty-Nine Mintz Levin Attorneys Recognized as Massachusetts Super Lawyers, ()
-
Mintz Levin Adds Six Attorneys to Chambers USA 2010 Guide, ()
-
Forty-Eight Mintz Levin Attorneys Recognized as Massachusetts Super Lawyers, ()
-
Chambers USA Names 22 Mintz Levin Attorneys Leaders in Their Fields for 2009, ()
-
Featured in
Layoffs and Lawsuits, In House Legal on LegalTalkNetwork ()
-
Forty-Six Mintz Levin Attorneys Recognized as Massachusetts Super Lawyers, ()
-
Chambers USA Names 20 Mintz Levin Attorneys Leaders in their Fields for 2008, ()
-
Forty-Five Mintz Levin Attorneys Recognized as Massachusetts Super Lawyers, ()
-
Chambers USA Names 19 Mintz Levin Attorneys Leaders in Their Fields for 2007, ()
-
Quoted in
Fighting Back Against 'Bullying' in the Workplace, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly ()