Biography
Kevin Callanan has practiced labor and employment law and related litigation since 1968.
He represents large and small employers and individuals in a wide range of workplace disputes, including:
- Employment Discrimination
- Sexual Harassment
- Wrongful Termination
- Wage and Hour Claims
- Employment Contracts
- Termination Agreements
- Non-Competition & Non-Solicitation Agreements
- Union Organizing Campaigns
- Collective Bargaining Negotiations
- Mediations and Arbitrations
Kevin appears regularly before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and has tried cases to verdict in both state and federal courts. He has represented clients in appeals before the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.
Kevin actively counsels employers and human resource directors in best practices and policies to avoid issues and litigation and to comply with various laws and regulations governing the workplace. He is available to conduct training sessions for supervisors and managers on how to deal properly with labor and employment issues at work.
Prior to forming Callanan Law LLP, Kevin was associated with the Boston law firm of Morgan Brown Kearns & Joy (1968-1971), was Vice President of Labor Relations for Howard Johnson Company (1971-1986), operated the Law Office of Kevin B. Callanan (1986-2011), and was a partner at Stevenson McKenna & Callanan LLP from 2011 to 2019.
From 1962 to 1964, Kevin served as LTJG aboard USS BARRY (DD-933), a destroyer that participated in the blockade of Cuba in October 1962.
Representative Matters:
- Obtained $464,952.00 jury verdict ($608,218.32 with prejudgment interest) after five day trial in Plymouth Superior Court for breach of an employment agreement on behalf of CEO of health services company for failure to pay agreed upon severance.
- Obtained a jury verdict in favor of a corporate employer and its president against claims of sexual harassment and retaliation by a former employee.
- Successfully defended employers and executives in administrative proceedings and jury trials in claims of discrimination based on sex, race, age, disability and national origin.
- Obtained an injunction in state court against a discharged employee for violating his agreement not to compete with his former employer for twelve months after his termination.
- Represented a national hotel and restaurant company in more than thirty-five union elections conducted by the NLRB resulting in favorable outcomes for the employer.
- Negotiated collective bargaining agreements on behalf of employers with various labor organizations, including Teamsters, Machinists, Glass Plastics & Allied Workers, Operating Engineers, and Hotel & Restaurant Employees unions.
- Prevailed in a non-jury trial on behalf of twelve former employees claiming violations of the WARN Act by a corporate employer that closed a plant without notice and filed for bankruptcy protection.
- Obtained a favorable decision from the MCAD after public hearing on behalf of an employee discharged because of his disability.
- Co-counsel for national hotel and restaurant company in successful U.S. Supreme Court case regarding labor law obligations of a successor employer.
- Lead counsel in the defense and settlement of a nationwide class action by the U.S. Department of Labor against a hotel and restaurant company alleging non-payment of overtime to assistant managers and trainees.
- Co-counsel for employer in successful defense of litigation by EEOC on behalf of former employee claiming religious discrimination, with attorneys' fees awarded against EEOC.
- Directed the labor relations aspects of simultaneous acquisition of twelve unionized restaurants on behalf of national restaurant company, with restaurants opening non-union six hours after acquisition.
Reported Decisions:
- MBTA v. Labor Relations Commission, 356 Mass. 563 (1970).
- Howard Johnson Co. v. Detroit Local Joint Executive Bd. 417 U.S. 249 (1974)
- EEOC v. Howard Johnson Co., 15 FEP Cases 1430 (D. Al 1977).
- Howard Johnson Co. v. NLRB, 618 F.2d 1 (6th Cir. 1980).
- Bray v. Marriott Corporation, 63 FEP Cases 1450 (D. Mass. 1991).
- Pallota v. Marriott Corporation, 61 FEP Cases 923 (D. Mass. 1993).
- Darian v. Univ. of Massachusetts, 980 F. Supp. 77 (D. Mass. 1997).
- In re Organogenisis, Inc., 316 B.R. 574 (Bankr. D. Mass. 2004).
- Shukhman v. Northeast Lens Corp., 19 Mass. L. Rptr. 157 (2005).
- Zona Corporation v. Daniel McKinnon, 28 Mass. L. Rptr. 11,233 (2011).
- Baker v. 3J's, Inc., MCAD No. 09-NEM-03338 (2013).
Practice Areas
Honors
- 2017 Chief Justice Allan M. Hale Career Service Award, Plymouth County Bar Association
- 2017 Recognition 50 Years of Practice Before The Bar, Massachusetts Bar Association
Professional Associations
- Massachusetts Bar Association, Labor & Employment Section
- Plymouth County Bar Association
- Plymouth District Bar Association
Education
-
Boston College Law School, Boston, Massachusetts
- J.D. – 1967
-
Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
- A.B., Bachelor of Arts – 1960
- Major: History
- University of Fribourg, Switzerland
-
Fletcher School, Tufts University
- MA – 1961
Bar Admissions
- Massachusetts, 1967
- U.S. District Court District of Massachusetts, 1968
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1975
- U.S. Court of Appeals 1st Circuit, 1969