Douglas R. Sweeney

Doug Sweeney is a litigation attorney in Holland & Knight's Boston office and a member of the firm's Labor, Employment and Benefits Group and Education Team. Mr. Sweeney's practice focuses on assisting private, public, educational and nonprofit employers with all aspects of labor and employment law and related litigation, as well as advising public and private educational institutions on a broad range of matters.

Mr. Sweeney defends employers from allegations of discrimination (including pay equity claims), retaliation, harassment, wrongful termination, wage and hour violations, and contract disputes in state and federal court, as well as before federal, state and local administrative agencies. He also litigates restrictive covenants, such as non-competition and non-solicitation agreements. He has extensive experience conducting internal investigations regarding allegations of sexual misconduct, as well as employment and compliance matters, for educational institutions and private employers.

In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Sweeney regularly counsels employers on a wide range of workplace issues, including terminations, hirings, employee handbooks, leave policies, pay equity and compliance with federal, state and local laws. He also focuses much of his practice on advising employers on the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) Act.

In his education practice, Mr. Sweeney advises public and private educational institutions on a variety of issues, including reports of Title IX sex discrimination and sexual misconduct, student privacy issues, student conduct, student discipline, tenure disputes, faculty governance, policies and handbooks, and regulatory issues.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Sweeney was a litigation attorney at a national law firm in its Boston office. Previously, he was a law clerk for the Honorable David A. Lowy of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. During law school, Mr. Sweeney served as editor-in-chief of the Suffolk University Law Review and was class valedictorian.