Erica E. Flores

Erica E. Flores
(413) 737-4753 v-card download

From the moment Attorney Erica E. Flores learned how to read, she wanted to be a writer. Growing up in the golden hills of Northern California, she would sit under the live oak trees and devour any book she could get her hands on. This love of reading and writing (and skiing) led Erica to the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she earned a degree in print journalism. But after landing her first job as a reporter for a local newspaper, Erica quickly realized that she wanted to do more than just report what was happening in the world around her—she wanted to use her love for reading and writing to help people solve problems.  So after just over a year, Erica enrolled in law school at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She knew right away that she made the right decision.

After receiving her law degree, Erica clerked for Justice Russell Nigro of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and then worked for prominent international law firms in New York City and Philadelphia, where she began practicing employment law.  She has been representing employers ever since, helping them achieve and maintain compliance with the many state and federal employment laws and regulations, navigate challenging personnel issues, and resolve disputes with current and former employees, both in and out of court.

Erica moved to western Massachusetts with her wife in 2013, and since then, she has had the privilege of living and working among the many businesses she advises and defends every day.  She is honored to be able to call them not just her clients, but respected colleagues and even friends.

“I pride myself on building strong, collaborative working relationships with my clients, and in earning and maintaining their trust.  They don’t always like what I have to say, but they know that I take the time to understand their problem, assess their legal risks, consider their options, and offer my honest opinion so they can make well-informed decisions and, hopefully, avoid costly litigation.  And when disputes do arise, I work with my clients to devise a strategy that makes sense for their unique business and work hard to help them achieve their goals so they can get back to running their business.”

Erica has been an invited speaker at educational events sponsored by the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce, the Employers Association of the North East, the CMEA Employers Association and other organizations, and has been published in BusinessWest, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, and the Massachusetts Bar Association’s prestigious Massachusetts Law Review.  She is also an editor of, and regular contributor to, BLR’s New England Employment Law Letter, and volunteers her time as President of the Board of Directors of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

  • Admitted

    • New York, 2006
    • U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 2007
    • U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 2009
    • Pennsylvania, 2009
    • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 2009
    • U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit, 2011
    • U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, 2011
    • U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, 2012
    • U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, 2012
    • Massachusetts, 2014
    • U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, 2014
  • Affiliations

    • Member, Massachusetts Bar Association
    • Member, Hampden County Bar Association
  • Education

    • J.D., University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2005
    • B.S., University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, 2001
  • Noteworthy

    • 2021 Top Women of Law, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly
    • 40 Under Forty award, Class of 2018, Business West
    • Clerk to the Honorable Russell M. Nigro, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2005–2006
  • Professional Activities/Community Involvement

    • President, Board of Directors, The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, 2016–present
  • Published Works

    • Erica Flores: Food Bank of Western Mass “Stepped Up” in 2020, Mix 93.1, April 23, 2021

    • Passing on disabled candidates for safety reasons is risky businessMassachusetts Employment Law Letter, December 2015, and Diversity Insight, December 2015

    • Political affiliation discrimination: What is your risk?, Massachusetts Employment Law Letter, November 2015
    • Collies in the cubicle? Exploring pros and cons of pets at work, HR Hero Line, November 2015
    • You better check yourself before you wreck yourself, Massachusetts Employment Law Letter, September 2015
    • Navigating FMLA paperwork: what to do to stay compliant, Massachusetts Employment Law Letter, July 2015
    • Danger! Be careful with pre-employment medical exams, Massachusetts Employment Law Letter, November 2014
    • New law grants leave to victims of domestic violence, Massachusetts Employment Law Letter, October 2014
    • Why should a consumer class action lawsuit matter to Massachusetts employers?, Massachusetts Employment Law Letter, June 2014
    • Don’t forget the ‘reasonable’ in reasonable accommodations, Massachusetts Employment Law Letter, March 2014
    • Ignore employees’ complaints at your own peril…, Massachusetts Employment Law Letter, February 2014
    • Dodd-Frank Act protects broad class of whistleblowers, Massachusetts Employment Law Letter, January 2014
    • Another bite at the apple? Ch. 258E may apply in the workplace, Massachusetts Employment Law Letter, December 2013
    • Report of the Fiduciary Responsibility Subcommittee of the ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law Employee Benefits Committee (2012)
    • Noncompete Jurisprudence During The Recession, Law360 (2010)
    • “People Not Places:” The Fiction of Consent, The Force of the Public Interest, and the Fallacy of Objectivity in Police Encounters with Passengers During Traffic Stops, 7 University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law 1071 (2005)