Shipman & Goodwin LLP partner Jessica L. Ritter has been selected by the Hartford Business Journal as one of its “40 Under Forty” outstanding young professionals in the Greater Hartford area. The award honors individuals who are excelling in their industries and communities through their leadership, commitment to business success and involvement in the community.

Ms. Ritter is a member of the firm’s School Law Practice Group, where she works with many of the 125+ public school districts the firm represents throughout Connecticut as well as a large number of independent schools. She represents these clients in a broad range of matters related to collective bargaining, employment, school policy, freedom of information and student conduct; she also represents clients in labor disputes, employment litigation and mediation and interest arbitration proceedings. In addition to her practice, Ms. Ritter has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education and regularly serves as a guest lecturer for educational classes across the State. She has been listed as a Connecticut Super Lawyer Rising Star for the last three years and is an active member of Shipman & Goodwin’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Ms. Ritter has a strong commitment to community involvement. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Mark Twain House & Museum and is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Housing Investment Fund (now known as Capital for Change, Inc.). Through the firm, she has contributed her time and legal knowledge to the Pro Bono Security Deposit Clinic of Statewide Legal Services of CT, Inc. and volunteered as a weekly tutor for the Fred D. Wish School Volunteer Tutor Program. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Ritter served as a volunteer with AmeriCorps in the greater Boston area, performing 1,700 hours of volunteer work that included teaching, tutoring, mentoring and coaching students at various age levels.