Biography

Brigitte Duffy is a partner in the Wage & Hour Litigation Practice Group in Seyfarth Shaw’s Boston office.  Ms. Duffy’s practice focuses on wage and hour matters, including federal and state wage and hour audits, and litigating collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act and class actions under state wage and hour laws.  Ms. Duffy has represented a number of hotels, restaurants, and other businesses in class action litigation arising out of their practices in handling the distribution of tips and service charges and use of the tip credit against the minimum wage.  In these cases, she has handled all aspects of litigation including discovery on liability, class and damages issues, briefing and arguing summary judgment and class certification motions, negotiating settlements, and structuring methods for calculating settlement distributions.  These cases have involved as few as 15 plaintiffs and as many as 15,000 potential plaintiffs.  In addition, Ms Duffy assists clients in litigation avoidance by conducting audits and assisting in the implementation of new practices focused on compliance with state and federal wage and hour requirements.  Further, she has assisted businesses in the hospitality industry in auditing their practices in handling tips and other charges.  She has trial experience defending employers and individual managers against claims brought under common law and federal and state laws.

Ms. Duffy regularly speaks at professional conferences on such issues as wage and hour law compliance, independent contractor status, and other employment law issues.

Education

J.D., Suffolk University Law School, cum laude (1993)
B.A., Harvard University, cum laude (1986)

Admissions

• Massachusetts
• New York

Courts

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the First and Second Circuits
• U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York