Richard A. Mills

Rich is a member of Shipman’s School Law practice group, where he represents numerous boards of education and other school law clients throughout Connecticut in labor, employment and school law matters. Rich counsels school law clients in a wide range of school law matters, including student discipline, Board governance, Board of Education policies, First Amendment issues, Freedom of Information Act issues, residency matters and budgetary matters. He also advises school law clients extensively on labor and employment matters, including hiring, employee discipline and discharge, teacher non-renewal and termination and grievance arbitration proceedings.

Rich has negotiated numerous collective bargaining agreements on behalf of Shipman’s school law clients, covering both certified and non-certified employees. Given his extensive experience in negotiating collective bargaining agreements, Rich assists school district clients in developing practical negotiation strategies designed to enable clients to achieve their goals at the bargaining table. Rich has earned a reputation for negotiating contracts with integrity and professionalism, an approach that is highly beneficial to clients. While the goal at the outset of any negotiation is to reach a negotiated settlement on reasonable terms, where that is not possible, Rich is fully prepared to assist school districts in both mediation and arbitration. In those stages of the collective bargaining process, it is critically important to develop a strategic approach designed to maximize the client’s prospects for success, and Rich has represented numerous districts in the course of both mediation and arbitration.