Overview
Chris Mills was a partner in the firm's New Jersey office. For almost 40 years, he assisted clients in navigating through the maze of labor and employment laws.
Chris was a Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Washington and Lee, where he was captain of the debate team. He had a J.D. degree from Yale and an L.L.M. from Georgetown.
After serving in the Navy JAG during the War in Vietnam, Chris practiced law for a number of years as in-house labor and employment counsel for AT&T at its corporate headquarters. Leaving for private practice in 1989, Chris helped form, then headed, Collier, Jacob & Mills, a premiere boutique employment law firm in New Jersey, which merged with Fisher Phillips in 2005. Chris was a partner in the combined firm for more than a dozen years, 2005-2017.
Over his career, Chris served as chief collective bargaining negotiator for a number of employers. Chris was elected a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers – the highest recognition by an attorney’s colleagues of sustained outstanding performance in the profession, exemplifying integrity, dedication and excellence. He was a Founding Member of the Academy of New Jersey Management Attorneys and elected to the Board of Directors of the Equal Employment Advisory Council. He spoke frequently at human resources and continuing legal education seminars, and authored numerous professional articles.
Chris will be remembered as a consummate professional and a “lawyer’s lawyer.” He had a quick wit and a sharp pen, whether writing a brief to the Supreme Court or an article on the latest developments in labor and employment law. Chris’s passing is a loss to the legal community, the firm, his family and friends. He will be missed and remembered fondly.
Experience
Reported Cases
- Engers v. AT&T Corp. & AT&T Management Pension Plan, 428 F. Supp. 2d 213 (D.N.J. 2006)
- Hunter v. Sprint Corp., 346 F. Supp. 2d 113 (D.D.C. 2004)
- Zubi v. AT&T Corp., 219 3d 220 (3d Cir. 2000)
- Samaroo v. Samaroo, 193 F.3d 185 (3d Cir. 1999), cert. denied, 529 U.S. 1062 (2000)
- Sundor Brands Inc. v. NLRB, 168 F.3d 515 (D.C. Cir. 1999), on remand, 334 NLRB 755 (2001), enforcement denied, 2002 U.S. App. LEXIS 22482 (D.C. Cir. 2002)
- McDermott v. Chilton Co., 938 F. Supp. 240 (D.N.J. 1995)
- Chaffee v. Kraft General Foods, Inc., 886 F. Supp. 1164 (D.N.J. 1995)
- Stires v. Sprint Corp., 1995 WL 632077 (D.N.J. 1995)
- Bergfeld v. Muralo Co., Inc. 1993 WL 266799 (D.N.J. 1993)
- Ponzoni v. Kraft General Foods, Inc., 774 F. Supp. 299 (D.N.J. 1991), affd, 958 F.2d 14 (3d Cir. 1992)
Honors & Leadership
Honors & Awards
- "AV" Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Recognized in Who's Who Legal USA
- Listed in New Jersey Super Lawyers since 2005
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 2007
- Listed in Chambers USA in 2015
- Best Lawyers in America, "Lawyer of the Year" - Management-side Employment Law, 2013
Professional Activities
Chris spoke frequently at human resources training conferences and continuing legal education seminars for attorneys throughout the country, such as the ALI-ABA program "Employment Discrimination and Civil Rights Actions in Federal and State Courts," and the mid-year meeting of the American Bar Association's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity Law. He authored numerous professional articles. While an in-house counsel, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Equal Employment Advisory Council, a national employers' association. Chris also served as a Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps in Navy from 1972-1976.
Insights
News
- 8.15.17
- Firm Also Ranked Among the Best for Labor & Employment Law5.30.17
- Two Named to 2017 New Jersey Super Lawyers List of Rising Stars3.14.17
- 8.15.16
- 5.27.16
- Four Named to 2016 New Jersey Super Lawyers List, One to Rising Stars3.11.16
- 8.17.15
- 5.19.15
- 3.17.15
- Four Named to 2015 New Jersey Super Lawyers List, One to Rising Stars3.13.15
- 11.25.14
- 10.23.14
- 10.13.14
- 9.19.14
- 8.18.14
- 3.15.13
- 10.26.12
- 10.21.11
- 9.26.11
Articles
- 8.16.10
- 5.11.09
- 12.4.08
- 10.1.08
- 5.1.06
Legal Alerts
Practices
Education
- Georgetown UniversityLL.M. (Labor Law) 1975
- Yale Law SchoolJ.D. 1972
- Washington & Lee UniversityB.A., B.S. 1969, magna cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa
Bar Admissions
- Colorado
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- New York
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut
- U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
- U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. Supreme Court
Languages
- French