Alison H.Silveira
Partner
Labor & Employment
asilveira@seyfarth.com
Alison focuses her practice on helping employers navigate the complex web of overlapping—and sometimes inconsistent—employment laws. Her goal is to understand the business of each of her clients, and to help them reach the best outcome for their unique needs.
More About Alison
Alison is an experienced litigator and employment counselor. She focuses her practice on wage and hour compliance and litigation defense. She regularly defends employers who find themselves involved in litigation, whether on a single-plaintiff or class/collective action basis, involving claims for failure to properly compensate their employees. Her experience includes defending employers against claims for unpaid wages, exempt status misclassification, independent contractor misclassification, joint employment issues, and off-the-clock work. In addition to defending litigation—or often on a parallel track—Alison works with her clients to evaluate their pay practices and ensure they are legally compliant in order to mitigate risk moving forward.
Outside of the wage and hour space, Alison also regularly defends clients in employment litigation involving claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. She spent the first several years of her career as a general litigator, defending companies in complex commercial litigation. This includes claims for legal malpractice, defamation, breach of contract, intellectual property, products liability, securities regulation, and constitutional law.
Alison is also a trusted advisor. Her broad range of litigation experience helps her understand and convey the range of potential outcomes to the challenges her clients face and to deliver practical solutions. She draws from her experience as a Division 1 athlete at the University of Michigan to work as a member of her clients’ team, and help guide smart employment law-related decisions on all fronts. That experience has also sparked Alison’s interest in the ongoing debate that is surfacing at the collegiate level regarding whether athletes are employees, and, if so, how to shape those employment relationships in this brand new (potential) landscape.
Outside of the wage and hour space, Alison also regularly defends clients in employment litigation involving claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. She spent the first several years of her career as a general litigator, defending companies in complex commercial litigation. This includes claims for legal malpractice, defamation, breach of contract, intellectual property, products liability, securities regulation, and constitutional law.
Alison is also a trusted advisor. Her broad range of litigation experience helps her understand and convey the range of potential outcomes to the challenges her clients face and to deliver practical solutions. She draws from her experience as a Division 1 athlete at the University of Michigan to work as a member of her clients’ team, and help guide smart employment law-related decisions on all fronts. That experience has also sparked Alison’s interest in the ongoing debate that is surfacing at the collegiate level regarding whether athletes are employees, and, if so, how to shape those employment relationships in this brand new (potential) landscape.
- JD, Boston College Law School
President, Public Interest Law Foundation
National First Amendment Moot Court Team, Best Oralist
Solicitations Editor, Environmental Affairs Law Review - BA, University of Michigan
Women's Rowing Team - Captain; four year member of First Varsity 8+
Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association All-American Scholar-Athlete; First Team, All Big 10
- Massachusetts
- US Court of Appeals, First Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
- US District Court, District of Colorado
- US District Court, District of Massachusetts
Related Services
Related Key Industries
- Defending municipalities in class actions brought by unionized employees, challenging the calculation of overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage and hour laws.
- Defending multistate retail chains in collective action brought by store managers, alleging misclassification and unpaid wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
- Representing US financial institutions in multiple putative class and collective actions alleging unpaid overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage and hour laws.
- Defending international online retailers against claims for unpaid commissions brought by former sales associates.
- Defending a large sales brokerage company in a case that established the standard for joint employment in Massachusetts for purposes of claims under the Massachusetts Wage Act.
- Defending a nonprofit think tank and research institution against claims of gender discrimination and retaliation.
- Conducting independent investigations for - and providing factual findings to - multiple companies looking to assess the validity of claims brought by current and former employees and improve business practices moving forward.
- Representing multiple retailers against claims of independent contractor misclassification, on both individual and class basis.
Related News & Insights
-
Recognition
11/21/2024
Nine Seyfarth Attorneys Selected as 2024 “Top Lawyers” by Boston Magazine
-
Attorney Publication
10/1/2024
Alison Silveira and Lilah Wylde Writes on Collegiate Athletes Able to Assert Claims Under FLSA in Employee Relations Law Journal
-
Media Mentions
07/22/2024
Alison Silveira Discusses Appeals Court Ruling That College Athletes Can Be Employees in the National Law Journal and NY Law Journal
-
Blog Post
Jul 16, 2024
Game, Set,… and On to the Match: Third Circuit Breaks Precedent, Recognizing That Collegiate Athletes May Assert a Claim Under the FLSA
- Recognized as a Recommended Attorney for Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions) - defense, The Legal 500 (Legalese Ltd.) (2024)
- Boston Magazine’s “Top Lawyers” List (Metro Corp.) 2022-2023
- Massachusetts Super LawyersRising Stars for Employment & Labor (Thomson Reuters) (2013-2016)
- Co-Author, "Game, Set, . . . and On to the Match: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Breaks Precedent, Recognizing That Collegiate Athletes May Assert Claims Under the Fair Labor Standards Act," Employee Relations Law Journal (Vol. 50, No. 3, Winter 2024)
- Co-Author, “Game, Set,… and On to the Match: Third Circuit Breaks Precedent, Recognizing That Collegiate Athletes May Assert a Claim Under the FLSA,” Wage & Hour Litigation Blog, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (July 16, 2024)
- Co-Author, “On the Heels of Helix: Third Circuit Confirms PTO is Not Part of an Employee’s Salary for the Purpose of Evaluating the Salary Basis Test,” Wage & Hour Litigation Blog, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (March 23, 2023)
- Co-Author, Mass-Peculiarities: An Employer’s Guide to Wage & Hour Law in the Bay State, 2022 Edition, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (2022)
- Co-Author, "Sweeping Changes to Enforcement of the Massachusetts Wage Laws May Be On the Horizon, and It’s Not Good News for Employers," Legal Update, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (April 27, 2022)
- Co-Author, "SJC Rejects Expansive Standard for Joint Employment Under Massachusetts Wage Laws, Aligning with Federal Standard," Legal Update, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (December 15, 2021)
- Co-Author, "Massachusetts Business Litigation Session Rejects 'ABC Test' for Joint Employer Status," Legal Update, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (April 8, 2020)
- Co-Author, "Massachusetts Governor Issues Emergency Order Temporarily Closing Non-COVID-19 Essential Businesses And Organizations," Legal Update, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (March 23, 2020)
- Co-Author, Mass-Peculiarities: An Employer’s Guide to Wage & Hour Law in the Bay State, 4th Edition, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (June 19, 2019)
- Co-Author, Employers' Guide to Massachusetts Wage & Hour Law, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (January 30, 2019)
- Co-Author, "DOL Guidance on Employer Status of Caregiver Registries: Foreshadowing A More Tolerant Independent Contractor Approach," One Minute Memo, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (July 30, 2018)
- Co-Author, "Governor Baker Signs Into Law the Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act," Management Alert, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (July 28, 2017)
- Co-Author, “Changes to Massachusetts CORI Regulations,” Management Alert, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (April 14, 2017)
- Co-Author, Massachusetts Peculiarities: An Employer’s Guide to Wage & Hour Law in the Bay State, 3rd Edition, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (April 1, 2017)
- Contributor, "Responding to and Preventing Whistleblower Retaliation Claims," Nat’l Empl. Law Institute (2014)
- Co-Author, “Road Map to Wage Act Claim Releases for Mass. Employers,” Law360 (January 2013)
- Co-Author, “Proceed with Caution: Internet-Based Survey Research,” Bloomberg Law Reports (January 2009)
- Co-Presenter, “Workforce Realignment and Reductions in Force - Part 3: WARN Act Issues,” Webinar Series, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (September 27, 2023)
- Co-Presenter, “The Future of Work for New England Employers – Part 6: Expense Reimbursement for Hybrid/Remote Employees,” Webinar Series, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (June 29, 2023)
- Co-Presenter, "Helix v. Hewitt: New Guidance (and Confusion) Around the Salary Basis Test," National Wage and Hour Litigation Practice Group Meeting, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (March 15, 2023)
- Co-Presenter, "The Future Starts Now: Future of Work for New England Employers - Part 3: Impacts of Technology on Overtime Exemptions," Webinar, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (December 14, 2022)
- Co-Presenter, "Terminations and Settlements After Reuter, How to Avoid Paying Thrice," Webinar, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (June 6, 2022)
- "What You Need To Know About The Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act," Webinar, presented by Seyfarth Shaw LLP (August 2, 2017)
- Nazdeek, Inc., board of directors (2012-2017)
- “HALLELUJAH!!!!!! Cannot thank you enough!!! . . . overwhelmed with gratitude for all of your support.” —Client feedback (2024)
- “ I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the hard work of this team! I know you inherited this case and didn’t have a chance to build your own record in discovery, but the briefing here has been so solid at every stage. Thank you for this fantastic result!” —Client feedback (2023)
- "This is amazing news!!! I want to take this time to thank you. . . and this team for the excellent work dealing with erratic opposing counsels and plaintiff. I really appreciate the professionalism and strategy you put into the case at every turn and with every filing. I hope you savor this one. I certainly will!" —Client feedback (2023)
- “Once again, I just can’t thank you. . . enough for the really excellent work on this entire matter. I would have loved to see this team in trial, but we really couldn’t pass up the opportunity to resolve the case at such a good price, due to your great strategy.” —Client feedback (2023)
- "Excellent work, Alison, the good guys do win sometimes." —Client feedback (2021)
Alison focuses her practice on helping employers navigate the complex web of overlapping—and sometimes inconsistent—employment laws. Her goal is to understand the business of each of her clients, and to help them reach the best outcome for their unique needs.
More About Alison
Alison is an experienced litigator and employment counselor. She focuses her practice on wage and hour compliance and litigation defense. She regularly defends employers who find themselves involved in litigation, whether on a single-plaintiff or class/collective action basis, involving claims for failure to properly compensate their employees. Her experience includes defending employers against claims for unpaid wages, exempt status misclassification, independent contractor misclassification, joint employment issues, and off-the-clock work. In addition to defending litigation—or often on a parallel track—Alison works with her clients to evaluate their pay practices and ensure they are legally compliant in order to mitigate risk moving forward.
Outside of the wage and hour space, Alison also regularly defends clients in employment litigation involving claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. She spent the first several years of her career as a general litigator, defending companies in complex commercial litigation. This includes claims for legal malpractice, defamation, breach of contract, intellectual property, products liability, securities regulation, and constitutional law.
Alison is also a trusted advisor. Her broad range of litigation experience helps her understand and convey the range of potential outcomes to the challenges her clients face and to deliver practical solutions. She draws from her experience as a Division 1 athlete at the University of Michigan to work as a member of her clients’ team, and help guide smart employment law-related decisions on all fronts. That experience has also sparked Alison’s interest in the ongoing debate that is surfacing at the collegiate level regarding whether athletes are employees, and, if so, how to shape those employment relationships in this brand new (potential) landscape.
Outside of the wage and hour space, Alison also regularly defends clients in employment litigation involving claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. She spent the first several years of her career as a general litigator, defending companies in complex commercial litigation. This includes claims for legal malpractice, defamation, breach of contract, intellectual property, products liability, securities regulation, and constitutional law.
Alison is also a trusted advisor. Her broad range of litigation experience helps her understand and convey the range of potential outcomes to the challenges her clients face and to deliver practical solutions. She draws from her experience as a Division 1 athlete at the University of Michigan to work as a member of her clients’ team, and help guide smart employment law-related decisions on all fronts. That experience has also sparked Alison’s interest in the ongoing debate that is surfacing at the collegiate level regarding whether athletes are employees, and, if so, how to shape those employment relationships in this brand new (potential) landscape.
- JD, Boston College Law School
President, Public Interest Law Foundation
National First Amendment Moot Court Team, Best Oralist
Solicitations Editor, Environmental Affairs Law Review - BA, University of Michigan
Women's Rowing Team - Captain; four year member of First Varsity 8+
Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association All-American Scholar-Athlete; First Team, All Big 10
- Massachusetts
- US Court of Appeals, First Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
- US District Court, District of Colorado
- US District Court, District of Massachusetts
Related Services
Related Key Industries
- Defending municipalities in class actions brought by unionized employees, challenging the calculation of overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage and hour laws.
- Defending multistate retail chains in collective action brought by store managers, alleging misclassification and unpaid wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
- Representing US financial institutions in multiple putative class and collective actions alleging unpaid overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage and hour laws.
- Defending international online retailers against claims for unpaid commissions brought by former sales associates.
- Defending a large sales brokerage company in a case that established the standard for joint employment in Massachusetts for purposes of claims under the Massachusetts Wage Act.
- Defending a nonprofit think tank and research institution against claims of gender discrimination and retaliation.
- Conducting independent investigations for - and providing factual findings to - multiple companies looking to assess the validity of claims brought by current and former employees and improve business practices moving forward.
- Representing multiple retailers against claims of independent contractor misclassification, on both individual and class basis.
Related News & Insights
-
Recognition
11/21/2024
Nine Seyfarth Attorneys Selected as 2024 “Top Lawyers” by Boston Magazine
-
Attorney Publication
10/1/2024
Alison Silveira and Lilah Wylde Writes on Collegiate Athletes Able to Assert Claims Under FLSA in Employee Relations Law Journal
-
Media Mentions
07/22/2024
Alison Silveira Discusses Appeals Court Ruling That College Athletes Can Be Employees in the National Law Journal and NY Law Journal
-
Blog Post
Jul 16, 2024
Game, Set,… and On to the Match: Third Circuit Breaks Precedent, Recognizing That Collegiate Athletes May Assert a Claim Under the FLSA
- Recognized as a Recommended Attorney for Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions) - defense, The Legal 500 (Legalese Ltd.) (2024)
- Boston Magazine’s “Top Lawyers” List (Metro Corp.) 2022-2023
- Massachusetts Super LawyersRising Stars for Employment & Labor (Thomson Reuters) (2013-2016)
- Co-Author, "Game, Set, . . . and On to the Match: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Breaks Precedent, Recognizing That Collegiate Athletes May Assert Claims Under the Fair Labor Standards Act," Employee Relations Law Journal (Vol. 50, No. 3, Winter 2024)
- Co-Author, “Game, Set,… and On to the Match: Third Circuit Breaks Precedent, Recognizing That Collegiate Athletes May Assert a Claim Under the FLSA,” Wage & Hour Litigation Blog, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (July 16, 2024)
- Co-Author, “On the Heels of Helix: Third Circuit Confirms PTO is Not Part of an Employee’s Salary for the Purpose of Evaluating the Salary Basis Test,” Wage & Hour Litigation Blog, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (March 23, 2023)
- Co-Author, Mass-Peculiarities: An Employer’s Guide to Wage & Hour Law in the Bay State, 2022 Edition, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (2022)
- Co-Author, "Sweeping Changes to Enforcement of the Massachusetts Wage Laws May Be On the Horizon, and It’s Not Good News for Employers," Legal Update, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (April 27, 2022)
- Co-Author, "SJC Rejects Expansive Standard for Joint Employment Under Massachusetts Wage Laws, Aligning with Federal Standard," Legal Update, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (December 15, 2021)
- Co-Author, "Massachusetts Business Litigation Session Rejects 'ABC Test' for Joint Employer Status," Legal Update, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (April 8, 2020)
- Co-Author, "Massachusetts Governor Issues Emergency Order Temporarily Closing Non-COVID-19 Essential Businesses And Organizations," Legal Update, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (March 23, 2020)
- Co-Author, Mass-Peculiarities: An Employer’s Guide to Wage & Hour Law in the Bay State, 4th Edition, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (June 19, 2019)
- Co-Author, Employers' Guide to Massachusetts Wage & Hour Law, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (January 30, 2019)
- Co-Author, "DOL Guidance on Employer Status of Caregiver Registries: Foreshadowing A More Tolerant Independent Contractor Approach," One Minute Memo, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (July 30, 2018)
- Co-Author, "Governor Baker Signs Into Law the Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act," Management Alert, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (July 28, 2017)
- Co-Author, “Changes to Massachusetts CORI Regulations,” Management Alert, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (April 14, 2017)
- Co-Author, Massachusetts Peculiarities: An Employer’s Guide to Wage & Hour Law in the Bay State, 3rd Edition, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (April 1, 2017)
- Contributor, "Responding to and Preventing Whistleblower Retaliation Claims," Nat’l Empl. Law Institute (2014)
- Co-Author, “Road Map to Wage Act Claim Releases for Mass. Employers,” Law360 (January 2013)
- Co-Author, “Proceed with Caution: Internet-Based Survey Research,” Bloomberg Law Reports (January 2009)
- Co-Presenter, “Workforce Realignment and Reductions in Force - Part 3: WARN Act Issues,” Webinar Series, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (September 27, 2023)
- Co-Presenter, “The Future of Work for New England Employers – Part 6: Expense Reimbursement for Hybrid/Remote Employees,” Webinar Series, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (June 29, 2023)
- Co-Presenter, "Helix v. Hewitt: New Guidance (and Confusion) Around the Salary Basis Test," National Wage and Hour Litigation Practice Group Meeting, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (March 15, 2023)
- Co-Presenter, "The Future Starts Now: Future of Work for New England Employers - Part 3: Impacts of Technology on Overtime Exemptions," Webinar, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (December 14, 2022)
- Co-Presenter, "Terminations and Settlements After Reuter, How to Avoid Paying Thrice," Webinar, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (June 6, 2022)
- "What You Need To Know About The Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act," Webinar, presented by Seyfarth Shaw LLP (August 2, 2017)
- Nazdeek, Inc., board of directors (2012-2017)
- “HALLELUJAH!!!!!! Cannot thank you enough!!! . . . overwhelmed with gratitude for all of your support.” —Client feedback (2024)
- “ I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the hard work of this team! I know you inherited this case and didn’t have a chance to build your own record in discovery, but the briefing here has been so solid at every stage. Thank you for this fantastic result!” —Client feedback (2023)
- "This is amazing news!!! I want to take this time to thank you. . . and this team for the excellent work dealing with erratic opposing counsels and plaintiff. I really appreciate the professionalism and strategy you put into the case at every turn and with every filing. I hope you savor this one. I certainly will!" —Client feedback (2023)
- “Once again, I just can’t thank you. . . enough for the really excellent work on this entire matter. I would have loved to see this team in trial, but we really couldn’t pass up the opportunity to resolve the case at such a good price, due to your great strategy.” —Client feedback (2023)
- "Excellent work, Alison, the good guys do win sometimes." —Client feedback (2021)