Nick Ladin-Sienne
I started my professional career as a chef, working for years in some of the Boston area’s most acclaimed kitchens. As a chef, I found the value in a comprehensive and somewhat unorthodox approach—I taught myself to cook through hours of pouring through cookbooks and watching the masters at work.
When I decided to trade my cookbooks for textbooks, that same comprehensive and unorthodox approach yielded even greater results: I made it through Tufts University in just over 18 months. I then attended law school at UCLA and began practicing in the Los Angeles office of a top 25 international law firm. There, I split my practice between being part of the firm’s core practice group of California employment lawyers and handling internal and government investigations and litigating False Claims Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and various other health care and commercial cases.
After a few years in practice, I moved back to Boston and joined a powerhouse firm, where I met and continued my employment law practice with Colin, who had joined the Denver office of the same firm. And when Colin left the firm to open Ascent with Emily, I knew immediately it would be the type of environment where clients always come first. I joined shortly thereafter.
As employment lawyers, our role is broad in scope. We often act as general counselors for our clients, at least for issues having to do with employees. Where necessary, we also act as zealous advocates for our clients before administrative agencies and in court. Through those roles as general counselor and zealous advocate, we develop that comprehensive knowledge of our clients’ day-to-day practices as well as their business needs. Through building those relationships, we take on the role of trusted advisor. Using the knowledge gathered through client conversations, interviews with employees, and more broadly through the relationships we build, we offer a pragmatic approach to solving problems for our client, whether those problems result from specific complaints or investigations, or they come from forward looking planning and discussions of different alternatives.
I now practice out of my home in Belmont, Massachusetts, where I live with my wife, Sari, and our two toddlers, Leon and Mika, and our Australian Shepherd-Cattle Dog mix, Shekel. Most days, weather permitting, you’ll find us out on a bike ride around town, or otherwise traveling somewhere between Israel and Los Angeles.
