Julia V. Wilde

Julia Wilde is a member of Shipman’s School Law Practice Group and advises educational institutions on a variety of general education, special education and labor and employment issues. She has dedicated her career to advising school districts on sensitive matters, including in her previous role serving as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Hartford. Taking a collaborative approach focused on dispute resolution, Julia develops close relationships with key school stakeholders to identify problems up front and resolve them quickly in the best interest of the district and the child.

Working with school districts in rural and urban communities, Julia understands the unique needs of each school. She draws on her tenure at a large, urban district to influence her work with mid-size and smaller districts, always with a preventative and proactive approach tailored to the client. Julia’s experience with charter, magnet and independent schools, as well as her in-depth understanding of school choice in Connecticut, brings a complete view of Connecticut’s education landscape to each client relationship.

A trusted advisor, Julia counsels schools in matters concerning internal investigations, policy development and compliance with state and federal laws and regulations, including ADA, FMLA and IDEA. As labor and employment counsel, Julia advises her clients on a range of matters, including accommodations under the ADA, employee discipline and discharge, teacher non-renewal and termination, employment discrimination, collective bargaining, and grievance arbitration proceedings. In the highly sensitive area of special education, Julia represents her clients in connection with PPT meetings, Section 504 accommodations, state complaints, mediations, and due process proceedings under the IDEA. She has also handled Title IX investigations and regularly advises schools on developments in applicable laws and regulations.

When necessary, Julia represents school districts before state and federal agencies, boards and commissions, including the Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations, the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, the Connecticut State Department of Education, and in litigation in state and federal courts. Julia served as co-counsel to the defense representing school districts in the largest special education class action in the country alleging systemic violations of the IDEA during the period of school closures related to the COVID-19 health pandemic, and is experienced in coordinating litigation strategy and response with defense counsel, insurance carriers and state attorneys general across the country.

Julia is a frequent author and speaker on education matters, regularly writing articles and alerts, and participating in webinars for organizations such as the LEARN Regional Educational Service Center, the Connecticut Chapter of the Council of Administrators of Special Education, the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, the Connecticut Association of School Business Officials and the Connecticut Association of Municipal Attorneys. She has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education.