Richard Millen                                                                                          

Half lawyer, half entrepreneur, and always, dedicated family man, Millen was admitted to the California bar in June 1949. After a few years as a research and litigation associate, government lawyer and house counsel for a corporation, he started his career as a transactional lawyer and operating officer for a group of Wall Street investment bankers. During this time, while involved in their varied ventures, he also became “of Counsel” to the law firm of Schwartz & Alschuler, now known as Alschuler, Grossman, Stein & Kahan, and remained there for 17 years. Always a dealmaker, Millen finally found a “home in the practice of mediation in 1986.

Like many of us who entered the field of mediation at that time, Millen found his place in it by accident and through an evolution of thought, rather than a conscious career decision. Not a man who will ever contemplate retirement, after many years in business and the practice of law, he was looking for a new direction that would both satisfy his entrepreneurial spirit and soulful nature.

As a professional volunteer for almost two decades, Richard Millen has received substantial recognition as a leader in the mediation field. In 1988, Millen co-chaired the first conference of mediations in Southern California, which lead to a second conference at which the SCMA was born. As a founding member and former board member/officer of the Southern California Mediation Association, he has chaired and co-chaired several of SCMA's subsequent Conferences.

Currently, Mr. Millen is teaching Settle More Cases: The Essence of Mediation for the AIM Institute.