Share

Valerie Samuels

About
Valerie Samuels

Valerie focuses on discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, reductions in force, wage and hour and restrictive covenants. She represents companies of all sizes, including those based in the United States, as well as international companies doing business in Massachusetts and elsewhere in the United States. She provides harassment, discrimination and diversity awareness training, conducts investigations and drafts employee handbooks and other policies. 

Valerie also has substantial expertise in executive and employee advocacy and transition, representing executives, professionals and employees in complex employment issues, including contract negotiation, non-competition and non-solicitation covenants, severance, change of control, deferred compensation, and equity interests. She has guided numerous companies and executives through the most difficult employment situations.

Valerie mediates and arbitrates cases for private parties. She was trained in civil mediation by the Community Dispute Settlement Center in 2001 and also received advanced mediation training. She is certified as a harassment prevention and disability discrimination trainer by the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. Valerie is a member of the American Arbitration Association Arbitration Panel for Employment Disputes. 

Valerie routinely appears before federal and state courts and agencies, including the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board. 

Valerie was previously a Partner at ArentFox Schiff, LLP.

Share

Education:

  • The George Washington University Law School
    Juris Doctor, with honors
  • Vassar College
    A.B., American History and Culture, cum laude

Admissions:

  • Massachusetts
  • U.S. District Court for Massachusetts
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit

Articles / Lectures:

  • Co-author, “ESG Leads To Increased Employee and Board Diversity,” Massachusetts Bar Association, April 2022
  • Guest on the Radio Entrepreneurs podcast episode, “Why Companies Should Mandate Vaccines,” October 2021
  • Guest on the Boston Podcast Network episode, “Valerie Samuels, the Master of Employment Disaster,” September 2021
  • Valerie was quoted in Law 360’s “3 Tips Employers Can Glean from Cuomo’s Implosion,” August 11, 2021
  • Panelist, “A Call to Action: DE&I Training to Erase Unconscious Bias and Microaggressions,” The DEI Summit: Diversity Officers & HR Taking Charge, November 3, 2021
  • Conference Co-Chair, “42nd Annual Labor & Employment Law Spring Conference,” Massachusetts Bar Association, June 2021
  • “Employer COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates,” Massachusetts Bar Association, March/April 2021
  • Valerie was quoted in Boston.com’s article “NDA, Non-compete and Employment Agreements – What Are They?”, October 14, 2019

Professional / Community:

  • American Bar Association, Member, Sections on Labor and Employment Law (International Employment Law Committee) and Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Boston Bar Association, Section on Labor and Employment Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
  • Massachusetts Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section Council, Vice Chair (2021-2023); Chair, as of August 2023 
  • Massachusetts LGBT Bar Association
  • British American Business Council of New England
  • New England-Israel Business Council
  • Justice Resource Institute, Inc., Former Trustee, Board of Trustees

Awards / Honors:

  • Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers (2023)
  • “AV-Preeminent” designation by Martindale Hubbell
  • Massachusetts Super Lawyer in 2004, 2005, and every year from 2007 – 2022
  • “2016 Top Woman Lawyer” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly
  • “Top 10 Attorneys” in 2006 in Women’s Business
  • “New England’s Top Rated Lawyers” in 2013 by ALM

We're Excited to Announce!

Sassoon Cymrot Law and Grossman & Associates have joined together into one firm under the Sassoon Cymrot Law name effective May 1, 2021.