Strategic Advocacy for Massachusetts Employees, Homeowners, and Others

In Nov. 2022 Stefan represented me as the Plaintiff in a MA Wage Act case in Federal Court in Boston under Judge Young. Stefan’s performance during trial was so good and professional that Judge Young complimented how well Stefan tried the case, which seemed like a rare compliment from a prominent judge. Stefan was well-prepared, alert and quick on his feet during the trial which led to a great outcome of our winning the jury trial with an expected $400,000+ final judgment in my favor (after mandatory tripling of verdict amount and legal fees). With my case, Stefan continued his streak of winning all of his jury cases. Stefan’s trial performance was spectacular, and he had a great strategy for each portion of the trial. Several examples include: 1) Persuaded the judge to not mention to the jury that their verdict would be triple, thereby preventing the jury from lowering the amount by factoring in the tripling. 2) Voluntarily and strategically dismissed all of my claims other than the MA Wage Act in order to force the jury to award on the most powerful part of my case rather than compromising on a less lucrative win for me. 3) Ingeniously got around a sensitive issue in which we were constrained by court rules about mentioning an important but sensitive topic. Stefan’s approach added even more benefit while also adhering to the rules. 4) Had video recorded deposition testimony that we played to the jury to destroy the defense on their key issue. 5) Used technology (e.g., animated presentation) was very effective at conveying our position in a very successful way. 6) Negotiated stipulations that worked well and effectively eliminated avenues for the defense. Also, during the case leading up to the trial, Stefan was on top of all of the case and court processes (e.g., discovery, depositions, memos) as well as filings. Stefan worked very collaboratively with me in preparing for the trial. I consider Stefan to be a foremost expert on several legal issues, including the MA Wage Act.

I hired Stefen Jouret a few months ago to review the hiring documentation associated with a new job I was considering. The prospective company had a policy requiring random drug testing. I felt this was a violation of my privacy rights. Random drug tests could potentially reveal medical conditions based on what prescribed medications are in my system. My medical condition(s) are none of a prospective employer’s business.
Mr. Jouret reviewed case law for the State of Massachusetts and determined that the Massachusetts Judicial Supreme Court had ruled that Random Drug Testing can only be applied to positions that are considered to be Safety Sensitive and cannot be applied to everyone universally. The job I applied for was not a Safety Sensitive position. I ended up accepting the job and if the day ever comes when I am asked to take a Random Drug Test, I will contact Mr. Jouret and we will challenge the testing requirement based on previous decisions made by the Massachusetts Judicial Supreme Court. Stefan is a very skilled attorney and I would feel comfortable using him again or referring others to him.

I highly recommend Stefan Jouret. He is not afraid to take on complex cases. He is thorough in his research, creative in his thinking, and beautifully articulate in his writing. Stefan spends the time to discuss different approaches to the issues being litigated to identify the best way forward.

I like to share my experience and also express my sincere gratitude and appreciation for what he did for me. In brief, from my own perspective, what makes Stefan distinguished and outstanding is his legal expertise and more importantly his unique professional character, integrity, and ethical and moral values, where he puts client’s rights and needs before anything else and then tries to address them by his best profession.
I got involved in a case that I sought for an attorney’s advice when I was mentally overwhelmed and drained because of defamation accusation as my wife had posted a negative but totally true and factual review on Yelp. I called Stefan’s office around 7PM knowing that his office was close and left a voice message.
In about couple of hours, Stefan called me back on my cell while he was in South America. He spent about 45 minutes, hearing about the case and eventually told me about all my rights and the fact that this was just an attempt for intimidating us to take down the post. Then, he told me that he would come back to Boston in 14 days and follow up with me. He did. I went to his office and he spent another 45 minutes to review the case and he reconfirmed his initial view.
During this time, he never mentioned about fees, rates, contracts, etc. and his primary focus was to get to the bottom of the case, calm me down by providing me legal advice regarding our rights. I repeat what I told him in his office:
“Thank you Stefan. People with high moral values like you, make this beautiful country extraordinary. Your call from overseas meant a lot to me especially during the time we were under lot of mental pressure and stress. The way you alleviated the mental distress is very similar to what a surgeon, clinician, physician etc. does for his/her patient. It’s priceless!”
I am now his client and pursuing the matter.

The legal case in which I encountered and employed Stefan Jouret originated from unjust and abusive discrimination against certain employees at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). In 2017 I was one of at least 14 employees working full-time at the Department being paid by means of yearly renewed contracts without benefits for a significant number of years. In some of the cases these repeated single year contracts had extended twenty to twenty-five years. All of these employees were diligent skilled workers who completed tasks equivalent to employees who had the status of regular benefited state employees. However, this practice of renewable single year contracts allowed the Department (and hence the Commonwealth) to avoid paying benefits owed regular state employees such as pensions, vacations, medical coverage, and sick days. The DEP claimed repeatedly that there was not enough money in the budget to convert us “contract employees” to regular status. It was willing to overlook our unfair situation presumably because it benefited financially by avoiding payment of benefits. Several of us “contract employees” sought outside help to redress our unfair treatment. We made contact with Stefan Jouret by means of referral from another attorney. Stefan quickly understood the unfair nature of the discrimination inherent in our employment. He immediately convened a meeting of the aggrieved contract employees. He was articulate in discussing the nature of our injustice and suggesting legal avenues for redress. I was one of 4 employees (out of the 14 or so) who agreed to hire Stefan to pursue legal options. The four of us met with Stefan frequently over the next several years as he guided us through steps seeking remediation through the Commonwealth’s legal system. We sought to establish that we were illegally denied full employee status and hence full salaries including benefits. Step one was to issue a demand letter directly to the Commissioner of the DEP outlining the specifics of the discrimination. This letter described the length and quality of work each of us four at the DEP. Governor Baker’s appointed DEP commissioner had no interest in responding to our demands. Step two was to file a complaint with the Attorney General’s office. It was there that we first ran into the legal obstacle of “sovereign immunity”, a legal principle which claims that the Commonwealth is immune from prosecution. Thereafter Stefan helped the four of us lodge a complaint in judicial court, successfully countered by the Attorney General on the basis of sovereign immunity. Next we filed an appeal to the appeals court, which was again defeated on the grounds of sovereign immunity. Stefan was adept at countering the state’s argument(s). Some of the points made were that the notion of sovereign immunity was disputed in different national settings and by legal scholars, the rights that we were entitled to as contract employees (such as receiving retirement benefits equal to social security) were not fulfilled. A positive result of our case was that the DEP abandoned the practice of funding employees by means of repeating one-year contracts. The DEP agreed to offer terms of conversion to full employee status to all of the fourteen or so “contract employees”, including the four of us bringing suit. The conversion agreement, however, did not compensate for benefits denied during “contract employee” years. A final chapter in our legal struggles emerged when we were invited to file an “amicus brief” in a case being decided by the Supreme Judicial Court of the Commonwealth. The plaintiff was attempting to revalue their pension by converting several years worked as a “contract employee” to regular employee status. The SJC decided against the plaintiff and hence shut the door on our attempt to revalue our contract employee years. Stefan Jouret ably and knowledgeably navigated the Commonwealth’s legal system.

I hired Stefen Jouret a few months ago to review the hiring documentation associated with a new job I was considering. The prospective company had a policy requiring random drug testing. I felt this was a violation of my privacy rights. Random drug tests could potentially reveal medical conditions based on what prescribed medications are in my system. My medical condition(s) are none of a prospective employer’s business. Mr. Jouret reviewed case law for the State of Massachusetts and determined that the Massachusetts Judicial Supreme Court had ruled that Random Drug Testing can only be applied to positions that are considered to be Safety Sensitive and cannot be applied to everyone universally. The job I applied for was not a Safety Sensitive position. I ended up accepting the job and if the day ever comes when I am asked to take a Random Drug Test, I will contact Mr. Jouret and we will challenge the testing requirement based on previous decisions made by the Massachusetts Judicial Supreme Court. Stefan is a very skilled attorney and I would feel comfortable using him again or referring others to him.

Stefan made a difficult situation manageable. Stefan was hired to represent me in a property damage complaint. Stefan was very professional, knowledgeable and patient. He had the patience to explain in depth and in layman’s terms the different aspects and steps of the legal process that needed to be taken to get to a solution. No one wants to have to deal with legal matters. However, it was a pleasure working with Stefan.

I was fortunate to have been recommended to Attorney Stefan L. Jouret by another Attorney. Stefan Jouret is an excellent Attorney who not only possesses very strong negotiating skills but also has an in depth knowledge and understanding of the law. Stefan truly cares about his clients and he will strive to help them find good solutions and answers to any legal issues that they might have. He will work tirelessly to resolve your legal issues amicably but isn’t afraid to litigate if the situation warrants it which is a very important and rare quality. I highly recommend Attorney Stefan Jouret!

Stefan made a difficult situation manageable. Stefan was hired to represent me in a property damage complaint. Stefan was very professional, knowledgeable and patient. He had the patience to explain in depth and in layman’s terms the different aspects and steps of the legal process that needed to be taken to get to a solution. No one wants to have to deal with legal matters. However, it was a pleasure working with Stefan.

Stefan represented me in a highly complex employment litigation involving state and federal statutes. He provided an initial consultation at no cost, during which he asked focused questions in order to understand the issues. Upon hiring him, he committed himself fully to the case. He had the compassion to understand the human aspects of the case and then applied a creative and logical mind to the litigation. The case was challenging yet Stefan persevered throughout. Stefan is honest, smart, and caring. Litigation is not easy. I hope to never have to do it again. But if I do, I would certainly hire Stefan again

Facing legal or potentially legal dispute is a stressful experience. Stefan, though a cool-headed attorney, was able to identify the stress and lend his support, helping me understand the situation with objective and crystal analysis, and prepare me for the possible subsequent procedures. With Stefan’s help, I was able to face a daunting situation with calmness and a clear mind. I highly recommend him for anyone in need of legal consult.

I highly recommend Stefan Jouret. He is not afraid to take on complex cases. He is thorough in his research, creative in his thinking, and beautifully articulate in his writing. Stefan spends the time to discuss different approaches to the issues being litigated to identify the best way forward.

I consulted Stefan to resolve a potential Wage Act violation with a former employer. Stefan was very good at keeping me up to speed with the case as it was resolved very promptly. He is a tremendous help, and I’d trust him to go to bat for me again!

For most of us, going through a legal process is somewhat confusing, scary and complicated. Stefan was very patient with me and helped me understand the legal process, gave me honest, candid feedback and i found comfort in how knowledgeable he was of the process. He’s a great communicator and would definitely use him again if i needed legal help in the future.