Reid M. Wakefield
Of Counsel
Practice Areas
Legal Administrative Assistant Lisa J. Gallo
Reid is an attorney in the Firm's Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Group. He represents employers and their executives in litigation before federal and state courts and administrative agencies, including the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. His litigation practice focuses on the defense of employment claims, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, disability accommodations, wrongful termination, misclassification, breaches of employment agreements, and wage and hour laws. His litigation work also includes employee restrictive covenants, business torts, and civil rights claims.
Reid also regularly advises employers on day-to-day labor and employment issues and drafts employment agreements, severance agreements, handbooks, and workplace policies. Additionally, Reid conducts internal investigations for clients in workplace matters, including at the executive level.
Reid was included in the 2025 and 2024 editions of the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ for his work in Litigation – Labor and Employment. In 2024, Boston magazine and Law & Politics named Reid a Massachusetts “Rising Star.”
Prior to joining the Firm, Reid served as Commission Counsel for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and he previously worked in private practice in Tallahassee, Florida, as well as with the Florida Office of the Attorney General.
Reid also regularly advises employers on day-to-day labor and employment issues and drafts employment agreements, severance agreements, handbooks, and workplace policies. Additionally, Reid conducts internal investigations for clients in workplace matters, including at the executive level.
Reid was included in the 2025 and 2024 editions of the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America™ for his work in Litigation – Labor and Employment. In 2024, Boston magazine and Law & Politics named Reid a Massachusetts “Rising Star.”
Prior to joining the Firm, Reid served as Commission Counsel for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and he previously worked in private practice in Tallahassee, Florida, as well as with the Florida Office of the Attorney General.
Bar & Court Admissions
- Massachusetts
- Florida
- U.S. District Court for Massachusetts
- U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- Florida State University JD (2009)
- University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth BA, magna cum laude (2006)
Publications/Presentations
- “EEOC Issues Fact Sheet Identifying Potential Ways "Wearables" in the Workplace Can Implicate Federal Anti-Discrimination Laws,” Mirick O’Connell Client Alert, December 27, 2024
- “Lessons Learned from the Trenches: Best Practices to Ensure Effective Performance Management and, when such practices fail, to Conduct Employment Terminations so as to Minimize Organizational Risk,” Mirick O’Connell Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Annual Seminar (May 4, 2023)
- Quoted in “Employer 'Hounding' Worker for His Baby's Birth Certificate Sparks Debate,” Newsweek, March 9, 2023
- “Massachusetts "CROWN" Law Prohibits Discrimination Based on Hairstyle,” Mirick O’Connell Client Alert, July 28, 2022
- "COVID-19 Employment Legal Issues," Massachusetts Municipal Auditors and Accountants Association Fall Conference (November 4, 2021)
- “Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave – Benefits Extended,” Mirick O’Connell Client Alert, October 1, 2021
- “What Employers Need to Know About President Biden’s ‘Path Out of the Pandemic’ COVID-19 Action Plan,” Mirick O’Connell Client Alert, September 14, 2021
- “Massachusetts Emergency COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave,” On Air with Mirick O’Connell legal podcast (June 30, 2021)
- “Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave – Updated Guidance and Resources,” Mirick O’Connell Client Alert, June 15, 2021
- “Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave – Employer Guidance,” Mirick O’Connell Client Alert, June 2, 2021
- Quoted in “What the EEOC’s Updated Covid Guidelines Mean for Business Leaders,” Forbes, May 28, 2021
- "Workplace Investigations in Today's World," Mirick O'Connell Spring Webinar Series (May 21, 2021)
- “US Department of Labor Withdraws Independent Contractor Rule,” Mirick O’Connell‘s Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Law Blog, May 10, 2021
- Quoted in “How Do US Laws Protect LGBTQ Homebuyers From Discrimination,” The Balance, April 23, 2021
- "Discussing Women in Construction," Massachusetts Construction Law Webinar (July 30, 2020)
- “Fair Housing and Housing Discrimination in Massachusetts,” On Air with Mirick O’Connell legal podcast (June 11, 2020)
- “Update on COVID-19 Workplace Health and Safety Enforcement by OSHA and the Massachusetts Attorney General,” Mirick O’Connell Client Alert, May 22, 2020
Professional / Community Affiliations
- Worcester County Bar Association
