Media Mentions
2008
Jeffrey F. Webb was quoted on June 12 in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. Mr. Webb noted that many companies agree to settle due to the high costs of reaching the class-certification stage. "Anybody who's been down this road before knows how much money it costs just to get to the class-certification stage....so you can understand why companies agree to settle. It definitely has happened that clients who have faced significant class-action litigation have had to declare bankruptcy even long before the point the determination is made of whether they did something wrong," he said. He added that with plaintiffs' lawyers in Massachusetts taking advantage of the Wage and Hour Act, the situation is not expected to improve for corporate clients. "It is a very significant concern because most of these class-action settlements become public where people see the results..." he said.
Jeffrey F. Webb, Class Action, Trial
Jeffrey F. Webb was quoted in the May 16 issue of The Boston Globe in an article regarding a California Supreme Court ruling that struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage. Mr. Webb, a partner in McDermott's Boston office, noted that the ruling could reduce Massachusetts' appeal for gay professionals as it will no longer be the only state that allows gay marriage. "There may be some people who will stay put in California or will choose to go to California, because their families are going to have the same kind of protections we have here in Massachusetts," he said.
Jeffrey F. Webb was quoted in the April 17 issue of the National Law Journal in an article regarding the passage of a law requiring mandatory triple damages in wage and hour cases in Massachusetts. Mr. Webb commented on the surge in wage and hour cases that the state experienced before the legislation took effect and the likeliness that the new legislation will lead to even more filings. "The difference between now and 2004 is that there's been a real increase in the amount of wage and hour class actions that have been filed, and Massachusetts [now] becomes three times as interesting as it was the year before," Mr. Webb said.
Jeffrey F. Webb, Class Action, HR & Employment Litigation, Labor & Employment, Trial
Jeffrey F. Webb was quoted in the March 17 issue of the National Law Journal in an article regarding a spike in employment class actions that has led law firms to expand their employment litigation practices. Mr. Webb, who recently joined McDermott's Boston office, noted that companies are now sending high-stakes employment class actions to larger name-brand firms rather than smaller employment boutiques. General counsel facing federal class actions choose larger firms because they "don't want to be second-guessed by their board," Mr. Webb said.
Jeffrey F. Webb, Class Action, Employee Benefits Litigation, HR & Employment Litigation, Labor & Employment, Trial
Jeffrey F. Webb was quoted in the March 3 issue of the Boston Business Journal regarding the movement of same-sex couples to Massachusetts where laws recognize same-sex marriages and offer same-sex couples legal rights and spousal health benefits. Mr. Webb relocated to Boston to live as a legally married couple with his life partner, Mark Schuster, and the pair's twin sons. Regarding their 2004 marriage, Mr. Webb said, "That was something that was really important to us."
Jeffrey F. Webb, Employee Benefits Litigation, Trial
Jeffrey F. Webb was quoted in the February 25 issue of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly regarding his relocation to Boston to live as a legally married couple with his life partner, Mark Schuster, and the pair's twin sons. A lawyer in California since 1990, Mr. Webb noted that California has a "separate and equal approach to gay relationships; they call it domestic partnerships." Regarding his relocation, Mr. Webb noted that, "For us, it was not a specific legal benefit that we were looking for, it was more the fact of knowing that our family would be treated under the law the exact same way as other families and that we're just another family." As a new partner in McDermott's Boston office, Mr.Webb noted that, "I really wanted to practice at a level I was used to," and that McDermott has, "a similar international presence, the kind of client base, the firm management I found most similar to what I was used to and what I liked."
Jeffrey F. Webb, Employee Benefits Litigation, Trial
Jeffrey F. Webb was quoted in the February 22 issue of Employment Law360 in an article regarding his recent move to McDermott Will & Emery. "The reason for my move to McDermott was the firm offered the kind of national and international platform that would be terrific for growing my practice," Mr. Webb said. Mr. Webb also noted that his previous experience serving as in-house counsel at Fox has given him valuable insight into working with a client base of in-house counsel. "If I'm talking to an in-house lawyer who has to report to a CEO or board of directors, I understand that my role is greater than just getting great results in the courtroom," he said.
Jeffrey F. Webb, Employee Benefits Litigation, HR & Employment Litigation, Labor & Employment, Trial
