Judson Pierce

Judson Pierce

Host of Workers Comp Matters

Judson L. Pierce is a graduate of Vassar College and Suffolk University Law School where he received his Juris Doctor. Mr. Pierce concentrates his practice in representing injured workers before the Department of Industrial Accidents. Mr. Pierce is admitted to practice before courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, and the American Association for Justice. He is also a board member of the Workers’ Injury Law and Advocacy Group (WILG). He has lectured on workers compensation law at numerous continuing legal education seminars. He formerly served in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office’s Fair Labor and Business Practices Division. Mr. Pierce has been selected as a Super Lawyer/Rising Star since 2005. Mr. Pierce was elected to the Arlington School Committee in 2010 and re-elected in 2013. He lives with his family in Arlington MA and enjoys music, theater and all the Boston sports teams.

Host of
Recent Episodes
December 2, 2024

Brain Strain: Workplace Psychological Injury Compensation

Professor Michael C. Duff explores the evolving field of psychological injuries in the workplace including stress and mental trauma.

October 29, 2024

New Study Asks if Having a Lawyer Boosts Workers Comp Payments

Does having their own lawyer help injured workers obtain higher benefits in Workers’ Comp cases? A new WCRI study investigates.

September 17, 2024

VA Disability Claims: An Often Overlooked Benefit Source

Guest Alex Dell is a former hockey ref and a longtime Workers’ Comp attorney. In both, he says, the key is to keep your eyes and options open.

August 30, 2024

50 Years In Workers’ Comp: Alan Pierce’s Observations and Reflections

Longtime co-host Alan Pierce reflects on his 50 years in Workers’ Compensation law and advocating for the rights of injured workers.

July 22, 2024

Using AI To Help Both Sides, Adjusters And Injured Workers

AI is ushering in a new era in Workers’ Comp claims management. Hear how advances are helping adjusters better serve workers and speed recovery.

June 28, 2024

A New Approach to Workers’ Comp: Being Nice?

Guest Claire Muselman’s newest article for WorkersCompsation.com stresses empathy for injured workers. Maybe we could stop assigning blame and start helping.

April 30, 2024

New Insights: How A Worker’s Mental State Influences Injury Recovery

A new study examines how a worker’s mental state can hamper injury recovery. What Workers’ Comp attorneys should know.

March 26, 2024

The “Multi-Tentacled Monster:” Repetitive Stress Claims

Sometimes a worker is injured, but there’s no specific “date of injury.” Repetitive stress injuries are real but proving them is a challenge.

February 28, 2024

Think You Know Workers’ Comp? The Times, They Are A Changing!

Over the past 100 years, Workers’ Compensation rules have struggled to adapt to the modern world. Does the system still work?

January 16, 2024

When Things Get Weird, Volume 2: Unusual Cases of Workers’ Comp

People get hurt in unusual ways on the job. But as these strange cases demonstrate, it’s not always the employer’s fault.

December 19, 2023

Fighting The “HIPAA Police,” Accessing Your Client’s Medical Records

HIPAA rules were designed to protect patients. But uncertainty and red tape can hamper your client’s access to records for workplace injuries.

November 21, 2023

Long COVID And Workers’ Comp, A Deep Dive Into A Real Issue

Four years after the onset of COVID, The Workers’ Comp community is still learning. Long COVID and your clients: what you need to know.

October 17, 2023

What Is A Workplace Injury When Your Home Is Your Workplace?

Our understanding of work and workplaces may have been forever changed by the COVID pandemic. Many workers today are working from their own homes or conducting meetings by phone during their occasional...

September 19, 2023

How A New Documentary Movie, “Americonned,” Relates To Workers’ Comp

Dave Pederson, producer of the new documentary “Americonned,” joins the podcast with thoughts on worker protections and the declining middle class.

August 15, 2023

“For Every Wrong, A Remedy?” When A Workplace Event Harms A Family

What happens when a workplace event, contracting a contagious illness, transfers to family? Can the family sue, or are they bound by Workers’ Comp?

July 18, 2023

The “F-Word” In Workers’ Comp: Fraud. Not Always The Employer?

Let’s talk about the F-word in Workers’ Compensation: Fraud.  Guest Connor Thomson is a second-year law student at Villanova University who won the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers John F. Burton Jr....

June 20, 2023

Support That Goes Beyond Lawyers and Doctors: Kind Souls Foundation Lends An Ear

When workers suffer a work-displacing healthcare event – injury or illness – emotional support can be as vital as medical care, insurance, and legal needs. Kind Souls Foundation offers a free service...

May 16, 2023

Medical Marijuana, Your Client, And Who Pays

Marijuana was once fodder for stoner comedies and standup routines. But today, medical marijuana is a serious matter in Workers’ Compensation. Fair compensation, and proper medical treatment, is not always as clear...

April 25, 2023

When A Worker Is Injured, So Is The Family: Helping Children Move Forward.

Guest Kathleen Fisher is an accomplished attorney in the field of Workers’ Compensation, but she’s also an active leader of the organization Kids’ Chance, dedicated to supporting the children of workers injured...

March 21, 2023

Back To School: Learning To Focus On “Recovery,” Not “Claims”

Guest Robert “Bob” Wilson is a leader at Work Comp College, created to offer a deeper dive into workplace protections for employees. He’s not a lawyer or an academic type, but he’s...

February 21, 2023

Settle Down: How Settlements Work in Workers’ Comp Cases

To settle or not to settle, often a question. Our guest, Jim Anderson, is a well-known Workers’ Comp attorney and a leader in the field in Mississippi. His input about “settlements” are...

January 24, 2023

Urgent Need: Serving First Responders With PTSD

We depend on our first responders – firefighters, cops, emergency room workers – every day. They protect us from harm. But what happens when they need our help? Our guest Robert Wisniewski...

December 20, 2022

When Things Get Weird: Fascinating Cases, Different Jurisdictions

A reminder that every case is different. Injuries occur in unusual situations that challenge how we think about Workers’ Compensation and how every state and jurisdiction applies the law differently. The “Skiing...

November 22, 2022

Longshoremen and Workers’ Comp Act — Coverage, Benefits and Compensation

Longshore and Harbor Workers injured on the job are protected by specific federal rules. Take a 30-minute primer from an experienced attorney.

October 19, 2022

Embrace Your Inner Matlock: “Acting” In The Courtroom

Guest Rachel Bailit is not an attorney, she’s an actor. So why is she a guest on a show about lawyers and legal issues? As an experienced acting teacher – in addition...

September 28, 2022

A Playbook for Tackling Workers’ Comp in Professional Sports

It’s one thing when a shelf stocker slips at work and injures her back. It’s another thing entirely when a professional athlete blows a knee on the football field. Our guest this...

July 29, 2022

Has the “Great Bargain” Worked? Well … It’s Complicated

Continuing our discussion of the 50th anniversary of the National Commission on State Workmen’s Compensation (as it was called) report. We’ve come a long way, but … it’s complicated. Guest Abbie Hudgens,...

July 6, 2022

50 Years After a Review of Workplace Protections, Time for Another Look?

July marks the 50th anniversary of the National Commission on State Workmen’s Compensation laws. The system we have in place wasn’t always so. Even after the passage of protections for workers, it...

May 31, 2022

Workers’ Comp and COVID: An American Failure

Guest Joanne Doroshow explains how Workers’ Comp and OSHA failed front-line workers in the COVID pandemic.

April 20, 2022

Immigrant Workers and Their Rights, Documented or Not

What happens when a migrant worker (documented or otherwise) is hurt on the job? Our expert guests share tips for working with immigrants injured on the job.

March 30, 2022

Rebuttable Presumption of Intoxication: Workers’ Comp and Marijuana

Guest Simon Cao joins hosts Judson and Alan Pierce in a discussion about how evidence of marijuana use off the job affects workplace injury cases.

February 23, 2022

Workers’ Comp Attorneys, Protecting Our Rights

Guest Malcolm Crosland discusses the fight to protect employees in today’s gig economy and how Workers’ Comp is more important than ever.

December 15, 2021

All Aboard: Maritime and Defense Base Claims

Take a deep dive into marine and maritime workplace compensation cases with Boston-based attorney Christopher Hug.

November 10, 2021

“Do The Right Thing,” A 9/11 Hero To The End

In part three of our 20-year remembrance of the 9/11 terror attacks, Phil Alvarez shares his brother’s tragic, and heroic, fight for victims.

October 6, 2021

“Law’s Finest Hour,” Tort Lawyers and 9/11

Part 2 of our reflection on the 9/11 victims’ fund. Guest Leo Boyle shares the inspiring role tort lawyers played, pro bono, for victims and families.

September 15, 2021

“A Patriotic Obligation”: Kenneth Feinberg and the 9/11 Fund

Special Master Kenneth Feinberg reflects on administering 9/11 victim compensation in a national period of anger and sorrow.

July 30, 2021

The “Going and Coming” Rule and the “Level Floor” Doctrine

Host Judson Pierce interviews co-host Alan Pierce on the ins and outs of the “going and coming” rule and the “level floor” doctrine.

May 26, 2021

Who Pays When Company Outings Lead to Injury?

As employers look to reconnect with their teams, Judson and Alan Pierce tackle the worker’s comp doctrine of recreational injuries.

April 28, 2021

Extraordinary Courage in the Face of Injustice

The filmmaker behind the documentary ‘Radium Girls’ brings to life the inspiring and tragic tale of the teenage dial painters during WWI.

March 31, 2021

How Voc Rehab Helps Injured Workers Recover on the Job Front

Counselor Rhonda Jellenik shares how the pandemic and disruptive technology is impacting workers with debilitating injuries and illnesses.

February 26, 2021

Presumptions in the Age of Covid-19

Prof. Michael Duff breaks down the three presumptions guiding workers’ comp cases and issues arising out of Covid-19-related claims.

January 27, 2021

The Future of Work: Utopia or Dystopia?

With a gig economy still spurring increases in temp and contract jobs, guest Darrell West explains why America needs a new social contract.

November 10, 2020

Want to Improve Performance? Take a Break

Encouraging a recharge will keep teams motivated. But if the boss presses ahead with no breaks, so will the team, sacrificing performance.

September 24, 2020

Up in the Air: When Uniforms are Toxic

The client count is rising for Bruce Maxwell and Thomas Holder, who learned new uniforms were making flight attendants sick.

August 28, 2020

Legislative Primer: What Lawyers Can Do to Push for Worker-Friendly Laws

Maritime lawyer Amie Peters updates host Judson Pierce on the state of federal advocacy for the essential workers risking their lives.

January 23, 2020

How Inspiring Others Makes You a Better Lawyer

Michael Fanuele shares how lawyers can apply tactics from his book, “Stop Making Sense: The Art of Inspiring Anybody,” to improve their legal practices.

November 30, 2018

How Millennials and Work Remotes are Impacting Workers’ Comp

Ryan Benharris talks about the gig economy, millennials vs. boomers, working remotely and workers’ compensation.

August 31, 2017

The Fact-Driven Complexities of Personal Comfort Doctrine

This legal podcast looks at personal comfort doctrine including what it is, factors that affect the outcome, and what acts are not compensable

July 31, 2017

Constitutional Challenges to State Workers’ Compensation Laws

This legal podcast explores workers’ compensation laws that are affected by constitutional law.

August 25, 2016

Alternative Benefit Systems and the Future of Workers’ Compensation

Guest host Judson Pierce speaks with Workers Injury Law & Advocacy Group President Alan Pierce about the future of American workers’ compensation.