Marshall B.Babson
Counsel
Labor & Employment
mbabson@seyfarth.com
In his labor relations practice, Marshall provides value to clients by finding creative ways to accomplish their business objectives over the long term.
More About Marshall
Marshall assists companies in achieving their strategic business goals in the employee relations sector by devising, creating, and implementing top-notch employee relations policies and programs. Typically this involves consultation, due diligence, litigation, or collective bargaining.
Marshall has more than four decades of hands-on experience, including service as a member of the National Labor Relations Board during the Reagan Administration. Throughout his career, he has participated in labor relations matters at all levels, including the regulatory and decisional aspects of labor law at the NLRB.
Through collective bargaining and cooperative working relationships that preserve value and efficiency, Marshall has assisted companies, both foreign and domestic, in aligning their business models to 21st-century practices. Such representations have included several of the largest entertainment conglomerates and logistics companies in the US, French, and Australian construction and stevedoring businesses, and the largest private equity firms in the US and Switzerland.
Marshall believes that perhaps the most important criterion in delivering inventive, creative, and sometimes unexpected value to clients is to listen very carefully to the C-suite executives explain their strategic goals and long-term business plans. Gathering such data is critical to synthesizing one's experience as a labor law professional to the benefit of the client.
When asked what he loves most about Seyfarth, Marshall said: "The ability to interact on a daily basis with the finest labor law practitioners in the field. The cumulative experience of this distinguished group virtually guarantees that clients will have the benefit of hundreds of years of experience in dealing with their particular matters."
Marshall has more than four decades of hands-on experience, including service as a member of the National Labor Relations Board during the Reagan Administration. Throughout his career, he has participated in labor relations matters at all levels, including the regulatory and decisional aspects of labor law at the NLRB.
Through collective bargaining and cooperative working relationships that preserve value and efficiency, Marshall has assisted companies, both foreign and domestic, in aligning their business models to 21st-century practices. Such representations have included several of the largest entertainment conglomerates and logistics companies in the US, French, and Australian construction and stevedoring businesses, and the largest private equity firms in the US and Switzerland.
Marshall believes that perhaps the most important criterion in delivering inventive, creative, and sometimes unexpected value to clients is to listen very carefully to the C-suite executives explain their strategic goals and long-term business plans. Gathering such data is critical to synthesizing one's experience as a labor law professional to the benefit of the client.
When asked what he loves most about Seyfarth, Marshall said: "The ability to interact on a daily basis with the finest labor law practitioners in the field. The cumulative experience of this distinguished group virtually guarantees that clients will have the benefit of hundreds of years of experience in dealing with their particular matters."
- JD, Columbia University Law School
- AB, University of Pennsylvania
Dean's list
- California
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
- New York
- US Supreme Court
- US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, DC Circuit
- US District Court, Central District of California
- US District Court, Eastern District of California
- US District Court, Northern District of California
- US District Court, District of Connecticut
- US District Court, District of Columbia
- US District Court, District of Maryland
- US District Court, Southern District of New York
Related Services
Blogs
- Represented companies large and small, foreign and domestic, in traditional labor relations matters in virtually every sector of the economy, including manufacturing, food service, entertainment, stevedoring, construction, logistics, real estate, hospitality, colleges and universities, and health care.
- Testified on numerous occasions before various Congressional committees regarding pending and developing issues in labor law, recently before the Senate Labor Committee regarding the joint employers issue.
Related News & Insights
-
Firm News
08/15/2024
220 Seyfarth Attorneys Chosen as Leaders in Their Fields by Best Lawyers in America 2025
-
Media Mentions
07/24/2024
Marshall Babson Discusses Lack of Clarity Following NLRB's Decision to Drop Joint Employer Rule in Law360
-
Recognition
06/06/2024
Seyfarth Again Earns Top Rankings in Chambers USA 2024
-
Media Mentions
03/18/2024
Marshall Babson Discusses Whether College Athletes Should be Deemed Employees in The New York Times
- Listed by Best Lawyers in America for Employment Law - Management and Labor Law - Management (Woodward/White Inc.) (2011-2025)
- Recognized as a Top 10 Leading Labor & Employment Lawyer in New York by Business Today (2023)
- Recognized as a Leading Individual in Labor & Employment: Labor Relations (New York); and Labor & Employment (New York), by Chambers USA (2008-2024)
- Recommended attorney for Labor-Management Relations, The Legal 500 (Legalese Ltd.) (2019-2021)
- Listed in New York Metro Super Lawyers for Employment and Labor law (Thomson Reuters) (2006-2019)
- Management Labor Lawyer of the Year for Labor & Employment Law, Best Lawyers (Woodward/White Inc.) (2014)
- Listed in Who’s Who Legal: Management Labor and Employment Lawyers (Law Business Research Ltd.)
- Listed in Who's Who Legal: The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers (Law Business Research Ltd.)
- Listed by Euromoney in its Guide to the World's Leading Labour & Employment Lawyers ( Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC) (2008-2020)
- Charter Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
- American Bar Association (Labor and Employment Law Section; Practice and Procedure Committee)
- US Chamber Litigation Center (board of directors; Labor Law Advisory Committee)
- Founding Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
- University of Pennsylvania Institute for Law and Economics board member
- NYU Center for Labor and Employment Law board member
- Co-Author, “National Strikes and Boycott Activities Planned for February 16 & 17 (And Beyond),” One Minute Memo, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (February 15, 2017)
- Author, "An Impractical and Dangerous Ruling," New York Times (September 14, 2015)
- Co-Author, "How Will Browning-Ferris Change the Test for Joint-Employer Status for Union and Non-Union Employers?" One Minute Memo, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (August 27, 2015)
- Co-Author, "Senate Holds Hearing on NLRB’s Proposed Joint-Employer Standard," One Minute Memo, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (February 18, 2015)
- Co-Author, “NLRB Makes Union Organizing Easier,” Human Resource Executive (January 26, 2015)
- Co-Author, "Fifth Circuit Sets Aside NLRB Rule Prohibiting Class Action Waivers," Management Alert, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (December 3, 2013)
- Author, “NLRB Plurality Thumbs Its Nose at Private Arbitration Agreements for Non-Union and Union Employers,” One Minute Memo, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (January 7, 2012)
- Author, Upsetting a Delicate Balance, American Bar Association, Labor Law Section in Chicago (May 11, 2009)
- Author, Bargaining Before Recognition in a Global Market: How Much Will It Cost?, Institute for Law and Economics, University of Pennsylvania (November 2005)
- Developments Under the 1974 Health Care Amendments to the National Labor Relations Act (1984)
-
Panelist, "Will COVID-19 Change U.S. Labor-Management Relations For Good?," LERA Annual Meeting (June 7, 2021)
-
Panelist, "What to Expect at the NLRB in 2021 and Beyond," ABA Midwinter Meeting of the Labor Law Section (March 5, 2021)
-
Panelist, "The NLRB's Partisan Pendulum: What's Next, and What Reforms are Needed," Annual Meeting of the Labor Law Section of the San Francisco Bar Association, Yosemite Conference (February 26, 2021)
- Presenter, "The Trump NLRB: How Its Decisions, Guidance & Rulemaking Affect Workers, Employers and Unions," Cornell ILR School, New York, NY (November 14, 2019)
- Co-Presenter, "2018 and Beyond: What All Employers Should Expect from the NLRB," Client Briefing, presented by Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Boston, MA (March 14, 2018)
- Presenter, "Demonstration of an Unfair Labor Practice Case, Parts I & II," ABA Annual Section of Labor & Employment Law Conference (November 6, 2010)
- Presenter, "Pending Issues at the NLRB," Annual Robert Fuchs Labor Law Conference at Suffolk University Law School (October 21, 2010)
- Presenter, "Class Arbitration Waivers and Section 7 Rights," New York University Annual Conference on Labor (June 3, 2010)
- Panelist, "The Legacy and Future of the National Labor Relations Act," American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (May 17, 2010)
- Presenter, "Private Injuries, Public Policies: Adjusting the NLRB’s Approach to Backpay Remedies," Florida International University Labor Law Symposium (March 26, 2010)
- Presenter, "Perspectives on the Fight for Labor Law Reform and the Employee Free Choice Act," Annual Meeting of the National Labor and Employment Relations Association (January 3, 2010)
"If Marshall cannot do it, it simply cannot be done." —Labor counsel at major food service company
"Babson is a virtual encyclopedia of labor law." —Chambers
In his labor relations practice, Marshall provides value to clients by finding creative ways to accomplish their business objectives over the long term.
More About Marshall
Marshall assists companies in achieving their strategic business goals in the employee relations sector by devising, creating, and implementing top-notch employee relations policies and programs. Typically this involves consultation, due diligence, litigation, or collective bargaining.
Marshall has more than four decades of hands-on experience, including service as a member of the National Labor Relations Board during the Reagan Administration. Throughout his career, he has participated in labor relations matters at all levels, including the regulatory and decisional aspects of labor law at the NLRB.
Through collective bargaining and cooperative working relationships that preserve value and efficiency, Marshall has assisted companies, both foreign and domestic, in aligning their business models to 21st-century practices. Such representations have included several of the largest entertainment conglomerates and logistics companies in the US, French, and Australian construction and stevedoring businesses, and the largest private equity firms in the US and Switzerland.
Marshall believes that perhaps the most important criterion in delivering inventive, creative, and sometimes unexpected value to clients is to listen very carefully to the C-suite executives explain their strategic goals and long-term business plans. Gathering such data is critical to synthesizing one's experience as a labor law professional to the benefit of the client.
When asked what he loves most about Seyfarth, Marshall said: "The ability to interact on a daily basis with the finest labor law practitioners in the field. The cumulative experience of this distinguished group virtually guarantees that clients will have the benefit of hundreds of years of experience in dealing with their particular matters."
Marshall has more than four decades of hands-on experience, including service as a member of the National Labor Relations Board during the Reagan Administration. Throughout his career, he has participated in labor relations matters at all levels, including the regulatory and decisional aspects of labor law at the NLRB.
Through collective bargaining and cooperative working relationships that preserve value and efficiency, Marshall has assisted companies, both foreign and domestic, in aligning their business models to 21st-century practices. Such representations have included several of the largest entertainment conglomerates and logistics companies in the US, French, and Australian construction and stevedoring businesses, and the largest private equity firms in the US and Switzerland.
Marshall believes that perhaps the most important criterion in delivering inventive, creative, and sometimes unexpected value to clients is to listen very carefully to the C-suite executives explain their strategic goals and long-term business plans. Gathering such data is critical to synthesizing one's experience as a labor law professional to the benefit of the client.
When asked what he loves most about Seyfarth, Marshall said: "The ability to interact on a daily basis with the finest labor law practitioners in the field. The cumulative experience of this distinguished group virtually guarantees that clients will have the benefit of hundreds of years of experience in dealing with their particular matters."
- JD, Columbia University Law School
- AB, University of Pennsylvania
Dean's list
- California
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
- New York
- US Supreme Court
- US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- US Court of Appeals, DC Circuit
- US District Court, Central District of California
- US District Court, Eastern District of California
- US District Court, Northern District of California
- US District Court, District of Connecticut
- US District Court, District of Columbia
- US District Court, District of Maryland
- US District Court, Southern District of New York
Related Services
Blogs
- Represented companies large and small, foreign and domestic, in traditional labor relations matters in virtually every sector of the economy, including manufacturing, food service, entertainment, stevedoring, construction, logistics, real estate, hospitality, colleges and universities, and health care.
- Testified on numerous occasions before various Congressional committees regarding pending and developing issues in labor law, recently before the Senate Labor Committee regarding the joint employers issue.
Related News & Insights
-
Firm News
08/15/2024
220 Seyfarth Attorneys Chosen as Leaders in Their Fields by Best Lawyers in America 2025
-
Media Mentions
07/24/2024
Marshall Babson Discusses Lack of Clarity Following NLRB's Decision to Drop Joint Employer Rule in Law360
-
Recognition
06/06/2024
Seyfarth Again Earns Top Rankings in Chambers USA 2024
-
Media Mentions
03/18/2024
Marshall Babson Discusses Whether College Athletes Should be Deemed Employees in The New York Times
- Listed by Best Lawyers in America for Employment Law - Management and Labor Law - Management (Woodward/White Inc.) (2011-2025)
- Recognized as a Top 10 Leading Labor & Employment Lawyer in New York by Business Today (2023)
- Recognized as a Leading Individual in Labor & Employment: Labor Relations (New York); and Labor & Employment (New York), by Chambers USA (2008-2024)
- Recommended attorney for Labor-Management Relations, The Legal 500 (Legalese Ltd.) (2019-2021)
- Listed in New York Metro Super Lawyers for Employment and Labor law (Thomson Reuters) (2006-2019)
- Management Labor Lawyer of the Year for Labor & Employment Law, Best Lawyers (Woodward/White Inc.) (2014)
- Listed in Who’s Who Legal: Management Labor and Employment Lawyers (Law Business Research Ltd.)
- Listed in Who's Who Legal: The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers (Law Business Research Ltd.)
- Listed by Euromoney in its Guide to the World's Leading Labour & Employment Lawyers ( Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC) (2008-2020)
- Charter Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
- American Bar Association (Labor and Employment Law Section; Practice and Procedure Committee)
- US Chamber Litigation Center (board of directors; Labor Law Advisory Committee)
- Founding Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
- University of Pennsylvania Institute for Law and Economics board member
- NYU Center for Labor and Employment Law board member
- Co-Author, “National Strikes and Boycott Activities Planned for February 16 & 17 (And Beyond),” One Minute Memo, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (February 15, 2017)
- Author, "An Impractical and Dangerous Ruling," New York Times (September 14, 2015)
- Co-Author, "How Will Browning-Ferris Change the Test for Joint-Employer Status for Union and Non-Union Employers?" One Minute Memo, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (August 27, 2015)
- Co-Author, "Senate Holds Hearing on NLRB’s Proposed Joint-Employer Standard," One Minute Memo, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (February 18, 2015)
- Co-Author, “NLRB Makes Union Organizing Easier,” Human Resource Executive (January 26, 2015)
- Co-Author, "Fifth Circuit Sets Aside NLRB Rule Prohibiting Class Action Waivers," Management Alert, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (December 3, 2013)
- Author, “NLRB Plurality Thumbs Its Nose at Private Arbitration Agreements for Non-Union and Union Employers,” One Minute Memo, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (January 7, 2012)
- Author, Upsetting a Delicate Balance, American Bar Association, Labor Law Section in Chicago (May 11, 2009)
- Author, Bargaining Before Recognition in a Global Market: How Much Will It Cost?, Institute for Law and Economics, University of Pennsylvania (November 2005)
- Developments Under the 1974 Health Care Amendments to the National Labor Relations Act (1984)
-
Panelist, "Will COVID-19 Change U.S. Labor-Management Relations For Good?," LERA Annual Meeting (June 7, 2021)
-
Panelist, "What to Expect at the NLRB in 2021 and Beyond," ABA Midwinter Meeting of the Labor Law Section (March 5, 2021)
-
Panelist, "The NLRB's Partisan Pendulum: What's Next, and What Reforms are Needed," Annual Meeting of the Labor Law Section of the San Francisco Bar Association, Yosemite Conference (February 26, 2021)
- Presenter, "The Trump NLRB: How Its Decisions, Guidance & Rulemaking Affect Workers, Employers and Unions," Cornell ILR School, New York, NY (November 14, 2019)
- Co-Presenter, "2018 and Beyond: What All Employers Should Expect from the NLRB," Client Briefing, presented by Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Boston, MA (March 14, 2018)
- Presenter, "Demonstration of an Unfair Labor Practice Case, Parts I & II," ABA Annual Section of Labor & Employment Law Conference (November 6, 2010)
- Presenter, "Pending Issues at the NLRB," Annual Robert Fuchs Labor Law Conference at Suffolk University Law School (October 21, 2010)
- Presenter, "Class Arbitration Waivers and Section 7 Rights," New York University Annual Conference on Labor (June 3, 2010)
- Panelist, "The Legacy and Future of the National Labor Relations Act," American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (May 17, 2010)
- Presenter, "Private Injuries, Public Policies: Adjusting the NLRB’s Approach to Backpay Remedies," Florida International University Labor Law Symposium (March 26, 2010)
- Presenter, "Perspectives on the Fight for Labor Law Reform and the Employee Free Choice Act," Annual Meeting of the National Labor and Employment Relations Association (January 3, 2010)
"If Marshall cannot do it, it simply cannot be done." —Labor counsel at major food service company
"Babson is a virtual encyclopedia of labor law." —Chambers