
Johanna L. Matloff
Partner
Practice Areas
Biography
Johanna is an experienced litigator in disputes involving ERISA and employment benefits as well as employment, insurance, non-profit organizations, complex torts, nursing homes, and consumer and home improvement products liability. Her ERISA litigation experience includes ERISA preemption issues, benefit claims, plan benefit calculation matters, as well as breach of fiduciary duty claims. Johanna has also represented clients in litigation involving wrongful termination and retaliation claims under the Family and Medical Leave Act, unpaid wages and government contractor’s personnel files.
Johanna regularly advises clients, including both for-profit and non-profit organizations, on a variety of employment law matters. She provides counsel to employers regarding employment-related policies and agreements, including non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, severance agreements, and employee handbooks. Johanna advises non-profit organizations on a variety of legal and litigation matters including director’s and officer’s liability, human resources and personnel decisions, employment practices, contracts, First Amendment issues, collections, and insurance.
Johanna also uses her legal skills to support her community, serving on the Executive Committee and Board of Overseers of The Jewish Journal, a newspaper based on the North Shore of Massachusetts.
Bar Admissions
- Massachusetts
- Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
- U.S. District Court District of Massachusetts
- U.S. Court of Appeals 1st Circuit
Education
- Suffolk University Law School, Boston, Massachusetts
- J.D. - 2002
- Honors: magna cum laude
- The University of Pennsylvania
- B.A., Bachelor of Arts - 1998
- Honors: magna cum laude
Awards & Recognition
- Best Lawyers in America® (2023 - 2025): Litigation – Labor and Employment
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers - General Litigation (2023, 2024)
- Top Lawyers, Nonproft Organizations - Boston Magazine, 2022 - 2024
- Selected as “Massachusetts Rising Star” by Super Lawyers (2005-2012)
Professional Associations
- Massachusetts Bar Association, Member
- Defense Research Institute, Member
- Boston Bar Association, Member
- The Jewish Journal, Executive Committee and Board of Overseers
- Women’s Bar Association, Member
- Attended IADC Annual Trial Academy at Stanford Law School (2018)
Publications
PUBLICATIONS
- Product Liability Desk Reference: A Fifty-State Compendium (2018-2021) – Contributing Author, Massachusetts Chapter.
- Business Torts: A Fifty-State Guide (2018-2021) – Contributing Author, Massachusetts Chapter
- “Pregnancy Discrimination: A Defense Perspective” – Co-Author, MCLE – Massachusetts Employment Law (2015 to present).
- The Uninjured Plaintiff: New Frontiers of Liability – Co-Author, , 71 Def. Couns. J. 262 (July 2004).
- The New Star Chamber: An Illusion of Due Process Standards at Private University Disciplinary Hearings – Author, 35 Suffolk. U. L. Rev. 169 (2001).
NEWS COVERAGE
- 12 Attorneys from The Wagner Law Group to be Recognized in 2025 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America© – EIN Presswire, August 15, 2024 (PDF)
Speaking Engagements
- Leave & Accommodation Best Practices – Radio Entrepreneurs interview February 5, 2025
- Employers: Prepare for New Laws and Regulations Under President Trump – Panelist, The Wagner Law Group webinar, February 13, 2025, 1:00 – 2:00 PM (EST) – Recording available here
- Taking the Human out of Human Resources? Artificial Intelligence and its Impact on the Employment Setting – Presenter, The Wagner Law Group Free Webinar, May 14, 2024, 1:00 – 1:30 PM (EDT) – Click here for recording
- Tech Networks of Boston Virtual Roundtable, August 2020
Law Alerts
Important Update to the Federal Independent Contractor Test
By Katherine Brustowicz, Denise Chicoine, David Gabor, Johanna Matloff, and Virginia Peabody (Senior Consultant) The Department of Labor (DOL), through its Wage and Hour Division (WHD), issued a Field Assistance...
Form I-9: What is It and What’s Changed
by Katherine Brustowicz, Denise Chicoine, David Gabor, Johanna Matloff, or Virginia Peabody (Senior Consultant) The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) released a revised Form I-9, dated January...
Attention Employers: EEO-1 Reporting Deadline Approaching
By Katherine Brustowicz, Denise Chicoine, David Gabor, Johanna Matloff and Virginia Peabody (Senior Consultant) The EEO-1 report for covered employers must be filed with the EEOC by June 4, 2025. Who Needs to...
Massachusetts Pay Transparency Law: Key Provisions and Compliance Timeline
Katherine Brustowicz, Denise Chicoine, David Gabor, Johanna Matloff, and Virginia Peabody (Senior Consultant) On February 1, 2025, a new law regarding salary posting requirements went into effect for all...
Executive Orders Addressing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives
By Katherine Brustowicz, Denise Chicoine, David Gabor, Johanna Matloff and Virginia Peabody (Senior Consultant) Last week, President Trump signed two executive orders (the “Trump Executive Orders” or “Orders”)...