James S. Weliky, partner at Messing, Rudavsky & Weliky, P.C., concentrates his practice in plaintiff’s employment law. Mr. Weliky has spent his career in Massachusetts developing his law practice and becoming a leader in the employment and labor legal field in the Commonwealth. For over 25 years, Mr. Weliky has represented employees in cases involving discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination and a variety of other employment claims in federal and state court and before numerous administrative agencies including the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He also represents federal employees in discrimination claims brought before their agency and the EEOC. Recently, Mr. Weliky was lead counsel in the case of Sullivan v. Kahn, Litwin, Renza & Co., in which his client was awarded approximately $1.6 million in damages, attorney fees & interest. He has been with the firm since 1995.
Mr. Weliky has been recognized on numerous occasions for his skill representing employees. He received Martindale-Hubbell’s “AV” rating and has been listed in Chambers USA Guide 2020 as an attorney that is “incredibly smart and hard-working”. Mr. Weliky has also been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© every year since 2012 for his work representing individuals in employment law. Similarly, Super Lawyers, a list that recognizes no more than five percent of attorneys in Massachusetts, has recognized Mr. Weliky every year since 2006.
Mr. Weliky received his J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law in 1995 and is a 1984 graduate of Oberlin College. Mr. Weliky was born in Boston, moved back to go to law school and hasn’t left since. In his spare time, Mr. Weliky enjoys spending time with his family, occasional woodworking and as much time in nature as he can.
In 2011, the Governor of Massachusetts appointed Mr. Weliky to the Boston Finance Commission, a state commission which monitors the City of Boston’s finances and recommends improvements. Mr. Weliky was reappointed each year from 2012 through 2016.
Current and Past Professional Memberships:
- Boston Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Section Steering Committee (September 2016 – Present;
- 2012-2015 & 2005-2008) Chair of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association’s Amicus Committee from 2000 to 2006.
- Chair and Vice-Chair of the Employment and Labor Law Section Council of the Massachusetts Bar Association (2001-2003)
- Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Employee Rights and Responsibilities practice group (1999-2000)
- Secretary to the Brown Bag Lunch Committee of the MBA (2000-2001).
- Co-chair for the 2011 National Employment Lawyers Association New England Regional Conference.
Mr. Weliky regularly presents on issues of interest to employment lawyers with Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education. Below are links to his past webcasts and transcripts of the webinars.
- https://www.mcle.org/product/catalog/code/2220032P01 https://www.mcle.org/product/catalog/code/2220279B03
- https://www.mcle.org/product/catalog/code/2220108P01 https://www.mcle.org/product/catalog/code/2220109P01
- https://www.mcle.org/product/catalog/code/2000269B00 https://www.mcle.org/product/catalog/code/2220290P01
