|
Practice Focus
Walter maintains an extensive practice in employment law, business litigation, municipal law, and pension law, where he provides counsel to both private and public sector employers on the legal and regulatory standards that govern the modern workplace. His public sector clients include the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Employees’ Retirement Board. Walter has 19 years of trial and appellate experience, notably numerous jury trials and public hearings involving claims of sex harassment, disability, race, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation and religious discrimination before the state and federal courts, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
As part of his appellate practice, Walter has appeared on several occasions before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and recently on a case concerning the constitutional right of a jury trial in discrimination law cases.
Walter previously worked as an assistant attorney general (AAG) in Massachusetts, defending numerous state agencies and departments in administrative law appeals, and currently serves as Special Attorney General. As a former AAG, he represented the Contributory Retirement Appeals Board, and various other regulatory agencies in state court. He has a working knowledge of the complex and organic state retirement statute chapter 32 and drafted an opinion of the Attorney General concerning the applicability of specific retirement provisions under the state’s retirement statute to the judicial branch.
Walter conducts discrimination and workplace investigations and drafts workplace policies. He provides advice concerning employment contracts, non-competition agreements and wage and hour compliance issues. Attorney Foster also provides comprehensive consultation services and training sessions. These services assist business clients in designing policies that promote a professional work environment compliant with state and federal laws. This also helps reduce or prevent the incidence of disruptive employment-related claims.
- Successfully defended a complex race discrimination case before the Mass. Commission Against Discrimination involving a failure to promote claim.
- Defeated a constitutional challenge in Superior Court to an employee drug-testing policy involving random drug testing.
- Defended a complex business contract claim involving multi-national parties and Uniform Commercial Code violations.
- Successfully defended a complex race discrimination case before the Mass. Commission Against Discrimination involving a failure to promote claim.
- Defeated a constitutional challenge in Superior Court to an employee drug-testing policy involving random drug testing.
- Defended a complex business contract claim involving multi-national parties and Uniform Commercial Code violations.
- Won a defense verdict in Superior Court on a disparate impact race-based claim involving progressive discipline issues in a union environment.
- Successfully defended a wrongful termination claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act in Superior Court.
- Involved in a successful appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court concerning the modifications of court-entered consent decrees.
Education
B.A. cum laude, Dartmouth College
J.D., Columbia University School of Law
Honors
Walter was named one of Boston Magazine's Massachusetts Super Lawyers in 2006.
Memberships and Admissions
Walter is admitted to practice in Massachusetts, is a member of the federal and state courts in Massachusetts as well as the First Circuit. He is also admitted in the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the Boston Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, and the Massachusetts Association of Public Pension Attorneys.
Community Involvement
Walter is the former selectman and Chairman for the Town of Acton, Mass. He is also a member of the local Community Preservation Committee. He served on the Town of Acton’s Planning Board for four years. He is also a member of the 495 Referral Group of Business Network International.
|
