Services

Employment Law

Compliance with employment laws can be one of the most pressing concerns for any organization, whether you are a new business hiring its first employee or a large employer facing a major down-sizing.

Our commitment is to provide prompt and strategic advice delivered in clear and declarative language. Clients want advice to act on, not a legal treatise. Lawsuits by disgruntled employees and former employees are a constant threat to employers. We work to minimize the risks of a lawsuit being filed through preventative measures such as policy development, training, and HR audits, and also by timely counsel when a client is making an important personnel decisions.

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“These are hands-on lawyers who understand our industry and how our company operates. They bring intelligence, integrity, and innovation to their representation of L.L. Bean.”

Leon A. Gorman

L.L. Bean President (1967-2001), Chairman (2001-2013), Chairman Emeritus (2013-2015)

We help management make sense of the myriad labor and employment laws, regulations, and court decisions and offer practical advice tailored to client business needs.

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Where We Excel

Day-to-Day Advice & Counsel

Brann & Isaacson advises employers in all areas of day-to-day employee relations matters. Our clients want a partner who can respond in minutes to the unexpected personnel matter that calls for legal advice.

Clients turn to us for advice on terminations—whether an individual or a mass layoff. We steer clients through investigations, termination assessments, termination letters, WARN Act and severance pay notices, unemployment, references, confidentiality, severance, and COBRA. We draft separation agreements.

On wage and hour matters, we advise on exempt/non-exempt status, overtime, minimum wage, independent contractor status, FLSA, and a host of related compliance issues.

We counsel employers about workplace safety and OSHA compliance, and we defend enforcement actions.  

Labor-Management Relations

B&I works with both public and private sector employers in the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements and contract administration. In the event of a dispute, we handle arbitrations and unfair labor practice proceedings before the NLRB and state labor relation agencies.

Employment Investigations & Litigation

B&I regularly serves as special outside counsel in high profile, sensitive,internal investigations. We also support our clients with their own internal employee investigations. We have a skilled Title IX investigator who works closely with our educational clients in public schools and colleges.

In the event of a lawsuit, we provide seasoned trial counsel. We vigorously defend employers before state agencies, the EEOC, and federal and state courts in wrongful discharge, wage and hour, harassment, and discrimination claims, including claims based on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, FLSA, FMLA, COBRA, WARN Act, ADEA, ADA, EPA, and OWBPA. 

Employment Matters & Labor

B&I attorneys draft and review employment policies and employee handbooks, and keep clients informed of emerging developments through newsletters, alerts, and seminars.

Our training programs include workshops on performance management and termination, performance evaluation, workplace harassment and discrimination, managing leaves of absence and attendance, and interviewing and hiring.    

Conferences, Workshops & Publications

B&I lawyers share their knowledge and expertise throughout the year as regular speakers at employment and HR conferences and workshops, including: The Maine HR Conference, Samoset; Annual Employment Law Update, Central Maine Human Resources Association; Maine Rural Water Association Annual Conference; Maine School Management Annual Conference; and the L.L. Bean In-House HR Law Training.

Our Employment Law Team

Primary Contacts

Peter Lowe

Email: plowe@brannlaw.com

Phone: 207.786.3566

Daniel Stockford

Email: dstockford@brannlaw.com

Phone: 207.786.3566

  • Nathaniel Bessey

    Nathaniel Bessey

    Partner

  • Lynn Gelinas

    Lynn Gelinas

    Counsel

  • Eamonn Hart

    Eamonn Hart

    Partner

  • Peter Lowe

    Peter Lowe

    Partner

  • Daniel Stockford

    Daniel Stockford

    Partner

  • Hannah Wurgaft

    Hanna Wurgaft

    Associate

Recent News

  • Brann & Isaacson and Career Management Associates Host Employment Law Webinar
    • Events
    • Firm Updates

    With recent events in Washington and regulatory updates here in Maine, employers need to stay informed. On Thursday, February 13, Brann & Isaacson and…

  • Peter Lowe Presents to Maine Rural Water Association on Human Resources Challenges
    • Events
    • Firm Updates

    On October 4, 2023, Peter Lowe addressed the 2023 Administrative Summit of the Maine Rural Water Association on Ten HR Traps for the Unwary.…

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Case Studies

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Recent
Cases

  • Former Price Promotions, Current Legal Risk

    Former price promotions, you say? Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. This isn’t just a quote from Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr or a line from Circumstances by Rush. It’s also a fitting description of the risks associated with California’s thorny and potentially unconstitutional Business & Professions Code § 17501. The combination of this statute and avaricious lawyers is…

  • B&I Files Amicus Brief for Crutchfield, Challenging Tariff Constitutionality

    On behalf of longtime Brann & Isaacson client, Crutchfield Corporation, Peter J. Brann and David Swetnam-Burland filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the Federal Circuit challenging the constitutionality of the worldwide tariffs imposed by President Trump. They argue that not only are large tariffs potentially crippling to internet retailers that necessarily import electronics and other goods, but the…

  • B&I University: Executive Efforts to Squash DEI—What it Means for Employers 

    Earlier this month, B&I’s employment team presented the latest installment in our popular B&I webinar series. Peter Lowe and Laura O’Neill discussed the practical implications of the new Administration’s challenges to employers’ DEI policies.   Through a series of executive orders, investigations and enforcement actions, the federal government has declared many “DEI practices” to be illegal….

  • B&I Files Amicus Brief for Crutchfield in Tariff Dispute

    On June 4, 2025, longtime Brann & Isaacson client, Crutchfield Corporation, filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals opposing an emergency stay filed by the government in a case over worldwide tariffs imposed by the President, which the Court of International Trade ruled unlawful. In the brief, filed by Peter J….

  • California Federal Judge Denies Certification in Class Action against B&I Client

    In a sharply worded May 29, 2025 order, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria of the Northern District of California denied a motion for class certification filed against Brann & Isaacson client, SafeOpt®, and co-defendants. After listening to questioning at a lengthy evidentiary hearing and arguments by David Bertoni and co-counsel for defendants, the judge ruled…

  • Laura O’Neill Joins Brann & Isaacson

    Brann & Isaacson, a Maine-based law firm founded in the 1920s with offices in Lewiston and Portland, is pleased to welcome Laura O’Neill as Of Counsel. A former educator herself, O’Neill will join the Municipal and Education teams at B&I.  O’Neill is a seasoned education lawyer with experience across the United States. Prior to joining…

  • David Bertoni Interrogates AI for Tax Notes State

    On May 12, 2025, Tax Notes State published the latest article by David W. Bertoni for the Eyes on E-commerce series, “Shock and Audit: Artificial Intelligence Meets State Taxation”. Bertoni’s piece provides a capsule history of artificial intelligence (AI) and then evaluates AI’s actual and potential use by state and local tax departments in their…

  • Thirteen Attorneys at Brann & Isaacson Honored by Super Lawyers 2025

    Thirteen Brann & Isaacson attorneys have been honored by Super Lawyers for 2025 and recognized for their significant contributions to the legal profession.   The research team at the national ranking service selects just 5% of the state’s lawyers every year to be included in their list of outstanding lawyers. The Rising Stars list is selected…

  • Nathaniel Bessey Again Named to Law360 Editorial Board, Tax Authority State & Local

    Brann & Isaacson congratulates Nathaniel Bessey on being named to the 2025 Editorial Advisory Board of Law360, Tax Authority State & Local. This is Bessey’s second term on the board and he brings to the position extensive experience representing the firm’s clients, including Fortune 500 companies and some of the largest Internet retailers, in all…

  • Peter Brann Named Chair of District of Maine Local Rules Committee

    On April 1, 2025, Chief Judge Lance E. Walker of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine named Peter Brann chair of the Local Rules Advisory Committee. Brann has long served on the committee, which authored the just-published comprehensive revision to the district’s local rules. In the letter to Brann announcing the appointment,…

  • Brann & Isaacson Lawyers Present at The National Etailing and Marketing Summit in Boston

    Brann & Isaacson is pleased to announce that two of its attorneys, Stacy Stitham and Jamie Szal, will be presenting at The National Etailing and Marketing Summit in Boston from April 1-3. They will be offering critical guidance on Legal Trends for eCommerce Companies in 2025.      The National Etailing & Marketing Organization of America (NEMOA)…

View All Cases

Retail & E-Commerce News

  • Former Price Promotions, Current Legal Risk

    Former price promotions, you say? Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. This isn’t just a quote from Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr or a line from Circumstances by Rush. It’s also a fitting description of the risks associated with California’s thorny and potentially unconstitutional Business & Professions Code § 17501. The combination of this statute and avaricious lawyers is…

  • B&I Files Amicus Brief for Crutchfield, Challenging Tariff Constitutionality

    On behalf of longtime Brann & Isaacson client, Crutchfield Corporation, Peter J. Brann and David Swetnam-Burland filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the Federal Circuit challenging the constitutionality of the worldwide tariffs imposed by President Trump. They argue that not only are large tariffs potentially crippling to internet retailers that necessarily import electronics and other goods, but the…

  • B&I University: Executive Efforts to Squash DEI—What it Means for Employers 

    Earlier this month, B&I’s employment team presented the latest installment in our popular B&I webinar series. Peter Lowe and Laura O’Neill discussed the practical implications of the new Administration’s challenges to employers’ DEI policies.   Through a series of executive orders, investigations and enforcement actions, the federal government has declared many “DEI practices” to be illegal….

  • B&I Files Amicus Brief for Crutchfield in Tariff Dispute

    On June 4, 2025, longtime Brann & Isaacson client, Crutchfield Corporation, filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals opposing an emergency stay filed by the government in a case over worldwide tariffs imposed by the President, which the Court of International Trade ruled unlawful. In the brief, filed by Peter J….

  • California Federal Judge Denies Certification in Class Action against B&I Client

    In a sharply worded May 29, 2025 order, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria of the Northern District of California denied a motion for class certification filed against Brann & Isaacson client, SafeOpt®, and co-defendants. After listening to questioning at a lengthy evidentiary hearing and arguments by David Bertoni and co-counsel for defendants, the judge ruled…

  • Laura O’Neill Joins Brann & Isaacson

    Brann & Isaacson, a Maine-based law firm founded in the 1920s with offices in Lewiston and Portland, is pleased to welcome Laura O’Neill as Of Counsel. A former educator herself, O’Neill will join the Municipal and Education teams at B&I.  O’Neill is a seasoned education lawyer with experience across the United States. Prior to joining…

  • David Bertoni Interrogates AI for Tax Notes State

    On May 12, 2025, Tax Notes State published the latest article by David W. Bertoni for the Eyes on E-commerce series, “Shock and Audit: Artificial Intelligence Meets State Taxation”. Bertoni’s piece provides a capsule history of artificial intelligence (AI) and then evaluates AI’s actual and potential use by state and local tax departments in their…

  • Thirteen Attorneys at Brann & Isaacson Honored by Super Lawyers 2025

    Thirteen Brann & Isaacson attorneys have been honored by Super Lawyers for 2025 and recognized for their significant contributions to the legal profession.   The research team at the national ranking service selects just 5% of the state’s lawyers every year to be included in their list of outstanding lawyers. The Rising Stars list is selected…

  • Nathaniel Bessey Again Named to Law360 Editorial Board, Tax Authority State & Local

    Brann & Isaacson congratulates Nathaniel Bessey on being named to the 2025 Editorial Advisory Board of Law360, Tax Authority State & Local. This is Bessey’s second term on the board and he brings to the position extensive experience representing the firm’s clients, including Fortune 500 companies and some of the largest Internet retailers, in all…

  • Peter Brann Named Chair of District of Maine Local Rules Committee

    On April 1, 2025, Chief Judge Lance E. Walker of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine named Peter Brann chair of the Local Rules Advisory Committee. Brann has long served on the committee, which authored the just-published comprehensive revision to the district’s local rules. In the letter to Brann announcing the appointment,…

  • Brann & Isaacson Lawyers Present at The National Etailing and Marketing Summit in Boston

    Brann & Isaacson is pleased to announce that two of its attorneys, Stacy Stitham and Jamie Szal, will be presenting at The National Etailing and Marketing Summit in Boston from April 1-3. They will be offering critical guidance on Legal Trends for eCommerce Companies in 2025.      The National Etailing & Marketing Organization of America (NEMOA)…

View All Online & Multichannell Marketing News