Burns & Levinson partner Ellen Zucker has been named a “Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Trailblazer” by The National Law Journal (NLJ) for her impressive work giving voice to those wronged in the workplace. The NLJ noted that Zucker, throughout her career, “has represented executives, professionals and entrepreneurs, as well as workers in the trades and public service, in high-stakes workplace disputes.”

Zucker recently served as lead counsel to Dennis Burke, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon who was terminated after he blew the whistle on Massachusetts General Hospital's (MGH) practice of allowing surgeons to double-book surgeries. After winning numerous legal victories and garnering an investigative report into MGH's practices, Zucker obtained a $13 million settlement for Dr. Burke that included an invitation to return to MGH and the hospital instituting a safety initiative in his name.

The NLJ highlighted Zucker’s other high-profile plaintiffs’ wins which include representing “Malvina Monteiro, a City of Cambridge employee who raised concerns about discrimination and was then subjected to retaliation. The case resulted in a $8.9 million judgment, including the largest punitive award sustained in an employment case in Massachusetts.” Zucker also represented Carol Warfield, M.D., the former Chief of Anesthesia at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, who endured years of gender discrimination and was forced out after she raised concerns about what she was facing. Zucker settled the case on the eve of trial for $7 million and the BIDMC Pain Clinic was named in Dr. Warfield’s honor.

In addition to her workplace advocacy on behalf of plaintiffs, Zucker represents corporate and individual clients in business litigation, counseling and negotiations, as well as governmental investigations and criminal proceedings.

She has received numerous awards over the years for her work as a civil rights litigator. Zucker received her J.D. from Boston College Law School in 1994, her M.S. in Political Theory from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1984 and her B.A. from Wesleyan University in 1983.

About Burns & Levinson LLP

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