Growing up, Attorney Amelia J. Holstrom watched her parents, who were both members of management at different companies, make difficult decisions that involved employees. When she decided to go to law school, Amelia knew that she wanted to be involved in litigation, but she wasn’t sure exactly what type of litigation. In her second year, she took a labor law class, which has helped shape the course of her career ever since. The class reminded Amelia about the difficulties businesses and members of management face when making decisions about employees and the laws that impact those decisions. Now, her practice focuses on litigation avoidance, employment litigation, and labor law and relations. Amelia has developed a practice in which she prides herself on helping her clients make difficult employment decisions within their legal obligations in an effort to help them limit legal liability. And, when someone does file a lawsuit against one of her clients, she is an experienced litigator prepared to defend her client.
When people think about businesses, they tend to forget they are run by ordinary individuals who have to make difficult decisions on a daily basis. Sometimes those decisions involve employees. My goal is to help my clients avoid legal liability. As part of that process, I advise them on what the law requires and help them avoid any missteps. Litigation can be a burdensome, time consuming, and contentious process. While I am always prepared to handle litigation on behalf of my clients, I prefer that an issue never gets that far. It is in my clients’ best interests to handle the situation appropriately from the beginning and avoid the lawsuit all together.
Amelia is active in the Western Massachusetts Community. Currently, she is the Chair of the Wilbraham Personnel Advisory Board and the Board Development Committee for the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts. She is also a member of the Wilbraham Commission on Disability, the boards of Clinical & Support Options, Inc., and the East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce, and the personnel committee for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.
Amelia’s legal and professional skills and community involvement have been recognized many times by outside organizations. She was selected by BusinessWest as a 40 Under Forty honoree (2015); awarded the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Community Service Award for Hampden County (2016); named as an Up & Coming Lawyer Honoree by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly for its Excellence in the Law Event (2017); named to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list (2018-2022); and recognized by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly as one of its Top Women of the Law (2023).
Admitted
- Massachusetts
- United States District Court, Massachusetts
- First Circuit Court of Appeals
- Connecticut
- United States District Court, Connecticut
Affiliations
- Member, Massachusetts Bar Association
- Member, Hampden County Bar Association
- Member, Connecticut Bar Association
- Co-Editor of the Massachusetts Employment Law Letter
Education
- J.D., Western New England University School of Law, Springfield, Massachusetts, cum laude, 2011
- B.A., St. Michael’s College, Colchester, Vermont, magna cum laude, 2008
Noteworthy
- Top Women of the Law, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, 2023
- Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2018–2022
- Up & Coming Lawyer Honoree, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Excellence in the Law, 2017
- Massachusetts Bar Association: Community Service Award Recipient for Hampden County, 2016
- 40 Under Forty, BusinessWest, 2015
Professional Activities/Community Involvement
- Chair, Wilbraham Personnel Advisory Board (2023-present)
- Member, Wilbraham Commission on Disability (2022-present)
- Member, East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce (2020-present)
- Board Development Committee, Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts (Member 2021-present; Chair 2022 -present)
- Board of Directors, Clinical & Support Options, Inc. (Member 2016-present; Clerk 2022-present)
- Member, Personnel Committee, Food Bank of Western Massachusetts (January 2014-present)
- Member, Board for the Girl Scouts of Central and Western MA (September 2014–2021)
- Clerk, Board for Friends of the Homeless (September 2015–December 2016)
Published Works
- 5 Reasons to Update Your Employee Handbook in 2021, HR Daily Advisor, February 25, 2021
- Employees Can Continue to Apply for DACA Program, HR Daily Advisor, October 27, 2020
- Working Moms Excel in Massachusetts, But Challenges Abound, HR Daily Advisor, May 8, 2020
- Contributing Author, Massachusetts Employment Law Letter
- The #MeToo Movement is Generating Workplace Change, co-author with John S. Gannon, BusinessWest, December 2018
- Temporary Staffing Agency’s Mistake Causes Trouble for Employer, HR Daily Advisor, November 1, 2018
- Are You Ready for the New Paid Family and Medical Leave Law, co-author with John S. Gannon, BusinessWest, August 2018
- With July 1 Just Around the Corner, Employers Must be Ready, co-author with John S. Gannon, BusinessWest, February 2018
- Was Inconsistent Treatment of Asian USPS Worker Discrimination? HR Daily Advisor, September 13, 2017
- Overtime: Massachusetts Employer Gets Bitten over Lunch Break Confusion, HR Daily Advisor, March 15, 2016
- The DOL’s has been busy: What is the impact in Massachusetts?, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, September 2015
- The NLRB “Quickie” Election Rule Is Coming this April, BusinessWest, February 2015
- The New “Sick Leave” Law, Special to the Worcester Business Journal, January 2015
- Hiring Unpaid Interns: This Controversial Practice is Coming Under Intense Scrutiny, BusinessWest, June 2014
- Benefits Landscape in Massachusetts Changes After DOMA Ruling, BusinessWest, November 2013
- 4 Tips to Avoid Legal Hot Water With Employee References, Special to the Worcester Business Journal, August 2013
Teacher/Presenter
- Frequent speaker on employment-related legal topics for a wide variety of associations and organizations