Duane Morris has named longtime employment litigator Bronwyn Roberts as Managing Partner of the firm’s Boston office. With nearly two decades of experience at Duane Morris and deep ties to the Boston legal community, Bronwyn steps into the role at an exciting moment for the office and the firm. In this interview, she reflects on what the position means to her personally and professionally, shares her strategic vision for growing the Boston office, and discusses the mentors, experiences, and values that have shaped her leadership style. She also offers candid advice for rising lawyers, insights into the evolving employment law landscape, and her perspective on how technology—and community—are reshaping the practice of law.
Congratulations on becoming Managing Partner of Duane Morris’s Boston office. What does this new role mean to you personally and professionally?
We’ve been in Boston for 26 years and my predecessors, Marty Shulkin and Mike Gottfried are well-known in the local legal community, still practicing at the top of their games. While these are big shoes to fill, I’m excited to represent Duane Morris in Boston as I continue my own career as an employment litigator and trusted advisor to employers.
What are your top strategic priorities for the Boston office over the next few years, and how do they align with Duane Morris’s broader firmwide goals?
I’m interested in marketing our firm broadly in the region and we’re lucky that the BBA is such a great resource for that. We’re also seeking to grow our office and attract talented attorneys to Duane Morris. We’re doing the same firmwide as we aim to follow our strategic plan to grow our firm and offer our clients unmatched service.
Internally, I’m planning to work with our attorneys to optimize their visibility on social media and professional platforms. In particular, I’m encouraging colleagues to increase their LinkedIn use – it’s a well-regarded platform for business intelligence and information sharing.
Boston is a key market for Duane Morris. How do you see the office evolving under your leadership?
Across our nearly 26- year history in Boston, Duane Morris has become well-known for its IP, life sciences and gaming work. I’d like to help build out our platform so that each of our eight practice groups is represented in Boston. I’m also looking forward to enhancing our capabilities in the corporate, life sciences and tech space. Our firm has long been involved with MassChallenge, a non-profit accelerator program supporting startups. It is a great way to find and support growing companies and we look to do more.
Out of the gate, I plan to promote our in-office culture, which is a meritocratic and collaborative environment, recruit talent and add more capabilities to our team. We’re aiming to be a stronger part of an already strong platform.
Looking back, what experiences most prepared you for stepping into a managing partner role?
Duane Morris has been great for my career overall. I rejoined the firm in 2024. (I had spent 18 years at the firm, from 2000-2018). I first joined Duane Morris as a member of its Trial Practice Group (litigation practice). From the start, the firm encouraged me to pursue my professional interests, which led me to the employment space.
The support continued as I worked to build out our employment practice in Boston. Past chairs of our employment group, Bruce Kasten and Tom Servodidio took the time to come to Boston to showcase our services to the market. To have the practice’s leaders be so supportive really enabled me to build the business I have today.
With this foundation, I’ve been integrating our new Employment, Labor, Benefits & Immigration Practice group chair Brian Johnsrud’s Four E’s for success: Energy, Entrepreneurial Thinking, Engagement and Empathy – into my leadership style as well as my own practice.
What is the best advice you received early in your legal career—and how has that advice shaped the way you mentor and lead lawyers today?
Networking is really helpful in connecting with the professional community. My first mentor in Boston (Doug Moxham) let me know that the Boston Bar Association was the best professional association around – and he was right. This is especially so for employment law development and employment defense work.
I am also a big fan of the Women’s Bar Association, it is a great platform for understanding and addressing issues facing women attorneys and building important personal and professional relationships with lawyers practicing in diverse areas.
What advice do you most often give to junior lawyers or rising leaders at the firm?
Find mentors and sponsors, both internally and externally. This is a strong way to develop a practice and a career that is fun and fulfilling. Also, while it is important to understand and process critical feedback of your work, don’t let it bring you down. And think twice before changing how you approach things after receiving feedback. There are many ways to successfully practice law. If someone tells you to practice in a way that does not feel correct or authentic to you, don’t do it.
You’ve built a distinguished practice in employment law. What originally drew you to this area, and what continues to motivate you about the work?
I started as a litigator and Duane Morris allowed me to “audit” and learn more about its employment practice. At some firms, switching practice groups can be challenging or even fatal to success. I was interested in workplace matters and the firm enabled me to develop a skill set in the employment space. It’s a dynamic field of practice – employment laws are always evolving, statutes are changing, federal and state regulations and policies are different. Business clients often have to comply with multiple state and federal laws – these rules touch risk mitigation, compliance and strategy.
Employment law also allows you to touch on a broad scope of the legal profession. From counseling clients on policies, to defending clients in court, to assisting with investigations, every day is different. Not every attorney has a practice where they get to use such a variety of skill sets.
Employment lawyers are also able to support their clients through changing economic climates. From helping them expand during boon times, or assisting with layoffs during, difficult times, we can be true partners in their business.
Employment law is constantly evolving. What developments in this space do you find most challenging—or most exciting—right now?
I have a passion for non-compete matters and business competition issues. It’s a plus for me that I can work with great Duane Morris colleagues in Boston who work on trade secrets topics, too. It’s an interesting space and enables you to really learn about your client’s business in a very short time frame.
When you reflect on your career so far, what professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
I really love what I do now, and I’m so pleased that I had the opportunity to learn and find a practice area that I really connect with. I’ve been able to develop a national practice from Boston and I have so many great local clients as well.
One recent case that I’m particularly proud of was when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court affirmed a District Court Appellate Division ruling that retention bonuses do not constitute a wage under the Massachusetts Wage Act. It was a victory for employers who were offering unique forms of incentive compensation. They will not now face potential liability for the harsh penalties under the Wage Act for bonuses like retention bonuses.
Duane Morris has been a longtime sponsor firm partner of the Boston Bar Association. Why is that partnership meaningful to you and your colleagues, and how does it support the firm’s culture and business objectives?
Duane Morris has had a longstanding culture of collaboration and collegiality, which really does help us support our clients in a creative and efficient way. This is also how I see the BBA. We’re so pleased to be active in BBA initiatives.
What makes Boston’s legal market unique, and how has practicing here shaped your career?
When I first started practicing, there were very few national firms in Boston, and most of the larger firms were firms that had been in town for decades. I think Boston lawyers have grown up with a certain confidence that they are as good, if not better, than practitioners in other jurisdictions. I think that confidence has certain pros and cons. Working at Duane Morris, I have learned that the ability to collaborate with colleagues throughout the United States and abroad not only better serves our clients, it teaches me a lot about new and different way to approach issues facing our clients.
How do you see the continued adoption of AI and other technologies shaping the legal profession overall?
Clients see AI as a time (and money) saver – and it is. Consistent with client directives and our ethical duties to represent our clients and do our best work, as lawyers, we have to embrace it and utilize it. AI offers a powerful capability, but our judgement is absolutely vital.
Are there particular ways you expect AI to impact employment law practice or law firm management in the near term?
Yes, I have already seen matters where employees of firm clients are using AI to essentially do their job, without much success. And when those employees are called to task for not performing as expected, due to the misuse of AI, many of those same employees are then using AI to draft claims against their employers and former employers. The use of AI allows employees without counsel to create (and in certain circumstances fabricate) claims. These matters will be very expensive and time-consuming for management to respond to.
As managing partner, what aspects of Duane Morris’s culture are most important for you to preserve—and where do you see opportunities to evolve?
At Duane Morris being a parent is celebrated and the firm is very family friendly. Our office embraces the balance of practicing law with family life. In my experience, this makes us better, more intuitive lawyers.
When you’re not practicing law, what’s your favorite way to spend time in Boston—especially during the winter months?
I have two teenagers, so during lacrosse and basketball season, you can certainly catch me on the sidelines of their games. I also like to “Ski the East” – and so our region is a perfect base for that. There are so many great spots within a few hours drive. I love Okemo, Stratton, and Bretton Woods. My favorite pastime in winter is going out to eat! Boston’s fantastic restaurant scene can’t be beat. Right now my favorites are 1928 in Beacon Hill and La Padrona in Back Bay.
