Office: Hartford

Kyle A. McClain is a labor, employment, and education law attorney and shareholder at Zangari Cohn Cuthbertson Duhl & Grello P.C. in Hartford, Connecticut. He represents employers, municipalities, and boards of education throughout the state, providing strategic, management-side legal counsel on the full spectrum of workplace law issues — from collective bargaining and union grievance arbitration to employment discrimination defense, workplace investigations, and regulatory compliance.

Kyle was recognized as a Connecticut Rising Star by Super Lawyers from 2016 through 2023 — an honor received by no more than 2.5% of attorneys in the state. In 2022, he was named a New Leader in the Law by the Connecticut Law Tribune and elected as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a distinction limited to one percent of lawyers in each jurisdiction. He is active as a speaker on labor, employment, and education law topics and is an Executive Committee member of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Law Section for which he served as Chair during the 2023-2024 bar year.

Labor & Employment Law

Kyle represents management in all aspects of Connecticut labor and employment law. His employer clients include private-sector corporations and business owners, Connecticut municipalities, and boards of education across the state, serving employers in Hartford, New Haven, Fairfield, Litchfield, and surrounding counties.

Kyle’s labor and employment practice includes:

• Collective bargaining and contract negotiations
• Union grievance arbitration defense
• Unfair labor practice proceedings (Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations and NLRB)
• Wage and hour compliance (Connecticut and federal)
• Employee discipline, termination, and workplace investigations
• Employment discrimination defense (CHRO and EEOC)
• FMLA, Connecticut FMLA, and Connecticut Paid Leave compliance
• Employee handbooks, internal policies, and procedures
• Hiring practices and employment agreements
• Employee relations, benefits, and compliance with state and federal employment laws

His labor relations practice involves negotiating collective bargaining agreements, contract administration, and defending management in grievance arbitration and unfair labor practice matters before the Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations and the National Labor Relations Board. In the public sector, Kyle additionally provides counsel on matters unique to Connecticut municipalities, boards of education, and other public agencies, including federal and state constitutional concerns and information requests and meeting procedures under the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Education Law

Kyle is a Connecticut education law attorney who advises boards of education, superintendents, and school administrators on the full range of legal issues facing K-12 public school districts. His school law practice encompasses both traditional labor and employment matters in the education context and education-specific legal issues, including:

• Student conduct and discipline, including expulsion hearings
• School accommodations matters and residency determinations
• Student records and privacy compliance
• Teacher discipline, tenure, and termination
• Special education law and due process hearings
• Board and district policy and governance
• Free speech rights and limitations in public schools
• Digital accessibility and equal access
• Compliance with state and federal education laws

Litigation & Administrative Proceedings

Kyle represents employers, municipalities, and boards of education in Connecticut state court litigation and administrative proceedings before key state and federal agencies, including:

• Special education due process hearings
• Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission
• Connecticut State Board of Mediation and Arbitration
• Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations
• Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO)
• Employment Security Appeals Division
• National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

He also regularly serves as a procedural advisor or hearing officer in administrative hearings and conducts workplace and school investigations on behalf of employers and boards of education.

Education:

• University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Isenberg School of Management, B.S., summa cum laude
• Boston College Law School, J.D.

Bar Admissions:

• Connecticut
• Massachusetts
• U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut
• U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit

Professional Associations & Memberships:

• Connecticut Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Section
  • Executive Committee Member 2016-2017, 2020-Present
  • Chair, 2023-2024
  • Vice Chair, 2022-2023
  • Secretary, 2021-2022
  • Treasurer, 2020-2021, 2021-2022
• Connecticut Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section
  • Executive Committee Member 2016-2022
  • Senior Advisor, 2021-2022, 2022-2023
  • Public Service Director 2019-2020, 2020-2021
  • CLE Director 2017-2018, 2018-2019
  • Labor & Employment Law Committee Chair 2016-2017
• National School Boards Association, Council of School Attorneys
• Connecticut Council of School Attorneys
  • President, 2018-2019
  • Secretary, 2017-2018
• American Bar Association
• American Bar Foundation, Fellow
• Hartford County Bar Association

Awards & Recognition:

• Rising Star, Connecticut Super Lawyers, 2016-2023
• New Leader in the Law, Connecticut Law Tribune, 2022
• Vanguard Award, Connecticut Bar Association, 2021
• Star of the Year, Connecticut Bar Association Young Lawyers Section, 2019
• Outstanding Achievement, Connecticut Bar Association Young Lawyers Section, 2018

Seminars & Speaking Engagements:

• Glenn A. Duhl, Amy E. Markim, & Kyle A. McClain, Top Ten Things Every Lawyer Should Know About Labor and Employment Law, Hartford County Bar Association (HCBA), February 1, 2024.
• Kyle McClain, Interpreting and Enforcing the CBA: Lessons Learned from Recent Grievance Arbitration Decisions, Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE), Collective Bargaining Workshop 2023, May 9, 2023.
• Paula Anthony, Heidi Lane, Nicole Rothgeb, & Kyle McClain, Untangling Federal FMLA, CT FMLA, and CT Paid Leave, Connecticut Bar Association (CBA), Annual Advanced Labor and Employment Law Symposium, March 30, 2023.
• Kyle McClain, They Said What? Free Speech Rights and Limitations in Public Schools, Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) / Connecticut Association of School Superintendents (CAPSS), 2022 CABE/CAPSS Convention, November 19, 2022.
• Glenn A. Duhl, Adam Lyke, & Kyle A. McClain, Connecticut Employment Law 2022, National Business Institute (NBI), July 15, 2022.
• Multiple presenters, School Law: Mental Health Issues, National Business Institute (NBI), October 7, 2021.
• Cindy Cieslak, Amanda DeMatteis, & Kyle McClain, The American Rescue Plan Act: Key Provisions Impacting Employees and Employers, Connecticut Bar Association Labor & Employment Section Meeting, May 13, 2021.
• Kyle A. McClain & Sara C. Saucier, Digital Accessibility: Equal Access for All, Connecticut Council of Municipalities (CCM) Virtual Convention, December 2, 2020.
• Multiple presenters, Special Education Law Toolkit, National Business Institute (NBI), April 14, 2020 [Cancelled due to COVID-19].
• Multiple presenters, Special Education Law Made Simple, National Business Institute (NBI), May 2, 2019.
• Multiple presenters, School Law: Social Media and Apps, Cyberbullying, Privacy and Other Technology Issues, National Business Institute (NBI), February 12, 2019.
• Glenn A. Duhl, Adam J. Lyke, Kyle A. McClain, & Nicholas J. Grello, Top Ten Things Every Lawyer Should Know About Labor and Employment Law, Hartford County Bar Association (HCBA), November 7, 2018.
• Beverly Hodgson, JR Lederer, Kyle McClain, & Christine Newhall, Designing and Implementing Mandatory ADR Programs, Connecticut Bar Association (CBA), Annual Advanced Labor and Employment Law Symposium, March 15, 2018.
• Kyle A. McClain, The Future of School Field Trips: Warnings, Waivers, and Ticks, Oh My, Connecticut Association of School Business Officials (CASBO), Timely Topic Workshop, February 2, 2018.
• Kyle A. McClain, Vincent Mustaro, & Mark Sommaruga, The Future of School Field Trips: Warnings, Waivers, and Ticks, Oh My, Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE), Legal Issues Workshop 2017, October 17, 2017.
• Amanda M. DeMatteis, Glenn A. Duhl, Joshua R. Goodbaum, & Kyle A. McClain, CHRO: How to Bring or Defend an Employment Case, Connecticut Bar Association (CBA), April 4, 2017.
• Glenn A. Duhl & Kyle A. McClain, Top Ten Things Every Lawyer Should Know About Labor and Employment Law, Hartford County Bar Association, March 7, 2017.
• Kyle A. McClain & Angelica Wilson, Harassment in the Workplace, January 2017. Various dates and locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts for private sector client.
• Kyle A. McClain, Ready, Set, Action! Video Recording Systems and Body Cameras in Schools. What You Need to Know and Action You May Want to Take, Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE), Legal Issues Workshop 2016, October 13, 2016.
• Nicholas J. Grello & Kyle A. McClain, Contract Negotiations for School Business Officials, Connecticut Association of School Business Officials (CASBO), Mentorship Academy, May 6, 2016.
• Nicholas J. Grello & Kyle A. McClain, Building Civic Synergy: Working With Municipal Officials to Achieve a Common Goal, Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) / Connecticut Association of School Superintendents (CAPSS), 2014 CABE/CAPSS Convention, November 14, 2014.
• Glenn A. Duhl, Nicholas J. Grello, Kyle A. McClain, & Angelica M. Wilson, Top Ten Things Every Lawyer Should Know About Labor and Employment Law, Hartford County Bar Association, January 14, 2014.

Community & Personal Activities:

• Sundown Ski Team, Coach, 2002-Present, Head Coach, 2015-2020
• Connecticut Youth Ski League, President and Director, 2016-2021
• Tri-State Alpine Ski Racing Association, Conn. Subdivision Chair and Director, 2016-2021
• Connecticut Industrial Ski Council, Vice President and Director, 2014-2020
• Downtown YMCA (Hartford), Board of Advisors, 2016-2017

Kyle resides in Avon with his wife and daughters and their pets, including their chocolate lab Marley. He enjoys sports and the outdoors, especially skiing in the winter, playing softball in the summer, and passionately cheering for The Ohio State University Buckeyes in the fall.