The Firm: While this two-partner Boston team may be smaller than some of its local competitors, its attorneys enjoy an excellent reputation and form an integral part of the firm's well-regarded national practice. The team's expertise spans complex discrimination litigation, wage and hour class actions and union negotiations. Republic Services, The Boston Globe and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority are all notable clients.

Sources Say: "The firm is very well connected across the NLRB – the attorneys seem to have their fingers on the pulse of that agency."

Key Individuals: One interviewee says of Mark Batten: "I would highly recommend him to anyone seeking litigation counsel in the Boston area," while another adds: "He is responsive, pragmatic and team-oriented, and offers excellent legal advice." Batten co-heads the firm's national class/collective action group, and has a wealth of experience advising on wage and hour claims. A recent case in point is his representation of RBS Americas in three putative class actions filed under the FLSA.

Scott Faust is commended for his "ability to quickly determine how to reach an agreement, and then map a strategy to get there." He excels in traditional labor relations and collective bargaining negotiations, and acts for a number of national industrial clients, including RG Steel and DTE Energy.