Labor & Employment Section Meeting (05/14)Meet the Mediators

Heather M. Burns is a partner with Upton & Hatfield, LLP, in Concord, NH. Her practice involves representing plaintiffs in litigation in employment discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful discharge, Family and Medical Leave Act, and other employment cases involving both federal and state law. Heather regularly represents employees before the NH Human Rights Commission, the NH Department of Employment Security, and the NH Department of Labor. In addition, she has successfully litigated numerous employment cases in both the U.S. District Court for the District of NH, numerous state superior courts, and the NH Supreme Court. Heather received her undergraduate degree from Carnegie Mellon University and her J.D. from Franklin Pierce Law Center. She is a past chair and current member of the Labor & Employment Section of the New Hampshire Bar Association, a member of both the national and New Hampshire chapters of the National Employment Lawyers Association, and a past president of the NH Association for Justice. Heather is also a member of the NH Women’s Bar Association and the Gender Equality Committee of the NH Bar Association. She has been a Fellow of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers since 2012 and volunteers as a mediator for the NH Human Rights Commission mediation program. Heather is also co-author of the annual supplement to the “Labor & Employment in New Hampshire” treatise. The treatise is a guide to state and federal laws and regulations governing all aspects of the employee-employer relationship in NH. She is a frequent speaker on employment law issues. 8/23

Charla B. Stevens spent 38 years as a labor and employment attorney in New Hampshire and Massachusetts before her retirement in 2021. She currently works as a human resource consultant offering services to businesses including workplace training, independent investigations, strategic human resources consulting, and mediation and conflict resolution. Charla is the recipient of a number of awards including the Marilla M. Ricker Achievement Award, the Granite State HR Hero Award, the Jack B. Middleton Pro Bono Services Award, the NH Business and Industry Association Above and Beyond Award, and the NH Business Review Business Excellence Award. 9/24