Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein

Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein is a boutique Boston trial firm that has been representing individuals in times of crisis for over 50 years.

Employment Law

The firm is known for being tenacious fighters, and for standing up to major institutions and government agencies in Massachusetts. The firm has helped employees succeed in hotly contested cases against universities, government agencies, and hospitals, raising claims of sexual harassment, systemic race and gender discrimination, free speech and academic freedom, and breach of contract claims. The firm's deep experience in litigation and trial work in both state and federal courts and willingness to take cases to trial has resulted in significant verdicts and settlements for the firm's employment clients.

Criminal Defense

Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein grew out of founding partner Norman Zalkind's criminal defense practice in Boston in the 1960s, representing individuals subjected to mass arrests in the civil rights and anti-war movements. Over the subsequent decades the firm's criminal defense work expanded to include successfully trying murder cases, drug crimes, white-collar cases, and other serious felonies in Massachusetts and nationally. Today, the firm takes on criminal defense cases, ranging from misdemeanors in the state district courts to major federal conspiracy, drug, and white-collar prosecutions, and successfully tackleslarge and complex criminal matters, both at trial and on appeal.

Students' Rights

As early pioneers of students' rights work, Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein has become a national leader in Title IX and student civil rights matters. The firm represents students in discrimination, free speech, and disciplinary matters from elementary school through graduate school. With significant experience in both internal disciplinary processes and litigation against schools for rights violations, the lawyers at Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein have helped many students maintain access to their education and vindicate their legal rights.