Kerrie Heslin’s labor and employment practice has been busier than ever in the past year, but hiring more attorneys has been a challenge because competition for the best lawyers is intense, she says. The answer is to have a strong firm culture with programs to mentor attorneys and develop their skills, according to Heslin.

Heslin is managing partner for the litigation practice at Nukk-Freeman & Cerra, a woman-owned firm in Chatham focusing on representation of businesses in litigation and providing counsel in the areas of labor and employment law. In its 15 years in business, the firm has grown to 28 lawyers and has branch offices in New York and San Diego.

Credit: Chris Nicholls/ALM