H. James Hartley co-leads the firm’s executive and professional advocacy practice. Mr. Hartley brings acute expertise to the representation of executives, professionals and small businesses in employment matters. He has particular experience in complex executive transition and litigation matters, including non-competition provisions, incentive/equity compensation, mergers and acquisitions, as well as employment, separation and change-in-control agreements. Along with Nancy S. Shilepsky, Mr. Hartley built one of the Nation’s first and most respected executive advocacy practices.  

Mr. Hartley has been named in 2007 and again in 2010 as a Finalist to the “Lawdragon 500” list of leading lawyers in America, and was designated as a member of the Lawdragon Top 3000, a list of the Nation’s most elite attorneys.  In Chambers USA 2010, Mr. Hartley was named a Leader in the Field of Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, and lauded for his capabilities and strategic thinking.  Mr. Hartley has also been selected by Thomson Reuters to be listed in New England Super Lawyers for seven consecutive years.

Mr. Hartley has extensive experience advising individuals and companies regarding all aspects of the employment relationship, such as drafting and enforcing agreements, compensation disputes, wrongful discharge, retaliation, discrimination and whistle blowing. His practice also includes employment-related litigation in agency and court proceedings, as well as arbitration. Mr. Hartley has been routinely successful in handling and obtaining six and seven figure arrangements through negotiation, alternative dispute resolution, and litigation, and is a highly respected employment and compensation counselor throughout all phases of his individual clients’ careers and his corporate clients’ businesses. His clients include professionals and senior executives in numerous industries, including financial and other professional services, information technology, medicine, broadcasting, energy, manufacturing, and professional sports.

Prior to co-founding Shilepsky Hartley Robb, Mr. Hartley was a partner at Perkins, Smith & Cohen, where he co-chaired the executive advocacy group. Before that, Mr. Hartley was an executive and lead employment law counsel for a Fortune 100 company with over 35,000 employees. In that capacity, he counseled executives and human resource professionals on high-level executive compensation and transition matters, as well as day-to-day employment law compliance issues, and was responsible for handling all employment-related litigation and disputes.

Mr. Hartley is a member of the American, Massachusetts and Boston Bar Associations, and is a frequent author and speaker before both business and legal audiences. He has served as Co-Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of the Boston Bar Association Labor and Employment Section. Mr. Hartley has also authored numerous articles in the executive advocacy field, including “Negotiating Executive Severance: Five Factors for a Better Package” and “Taking Stock of the Implied Covenant of Good Faith & Fair Dealing.” He co-authored, with Barbara A. Robb, “Monitoring and Controlling Inappropriate Behavior in the E-Workplace: Strategies for Avoiding Potential Liability.”

Mr. Hartley is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (B.A. cum laude) and Boston College Law School (J.D. cum laude).

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