Overview

Chris Mills is a partner in the firm's New Jersey office. For almost 40 years, he has assisted clients in navigating through the maze of labor and employment laws.

Chris has a wide range of experience in virtually every aspect of employment litigation, employment discrimination, workforce reduction, employment-at-will and wrongful termination, traditional labor relations law, affirmative action plans and Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), as well as employee pension and benefit plans.

He has been selected to represent major corporations in class actions under Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and collective claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and served as lead counsel defending against class-based Age Discrimination and ERISA Claims challenging the conversion of AT&T’s Management Pension Plan to a cash balance formula. He has served as chief collective bargaining negotiator for a number of employers.

Chris joined Fisher Phillips after 12 years of heading what many considered the premier labor and employment boutique law firm in New Jersey, which he joined in 1989. Previously, he had worked as in-house counsel at AT&T for 12 years, where he held a number of labor law positions, completing his service as the company's labor and employment law counsel for its corporate headquarters.

Chris has been 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.

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)

Representative Work

Summary Judgment Obtained Against Challenge to Conversion of Defined Benefit Pension Plan to Cash Balance Formula; 3rd Circuit Affirms

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

Award Methodology

Professional Activities

Chris has spoken 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 has 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.