Litigation Group

For more than a century, Cummings & Lockwood’s Litigation Group has represented national and local businesses, as well as individuals. Our attorneys have extensive experience in State and Federal Courts, as well as national arbitration and mediation forums. Cummings & Lockwood’s litigation team is known for both its ability to try complex and nuanced cases, as well as to deliver creative and cost-effective resolutions when settlement is possible. Throughout the process, our attorneys pride themselves on continuously communicating with our clients to ensure that we are working to best fulfill their goals.

The hallmark of our litigation practice is our combination of the capabilities and resources of a large law firm with the responsiveness and personal service of a boutique firm. Our clients’ goals are always our first priority. We strive to provide every client with the optimum level of cost-efficient staffing, regardless of a case’s size or complexity. Our substantial resources and extensive trial experience allow us to handle “bet the company” cases, as well as litigation that calls for sophisticated electronic discovery.

Our reputation for client service and integrity is also recognized by many of the top 100 AmLaw firms that trust us to provide their valued clients with Connecticut litigation counsel.

Out-of-state law firms frequently turn to Cummings & Lockwood to assist them as local counsel with matters in Connecticut’s federal and state courts. Our deep understanding of Connecticut laws, practices and procedures makes us uniquely suited for these assignments. Our lawyers have years of experience as litigators in Connecticut’s federal and state courts. Several of our lawyers also have served as law clerks/interns to Connecticut state and federal judges. Please see our list of Professionals and Representative Matters in the links above for further information about our experience relative to local counsel services.

Our litigation attorneys practice in the following areas:

• Business and Commercial Litigation
• Appellate Practice
• Closely-Held Business Litigation
• Real Property and Environmental Litigation
• Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights
• Employment Litigation
• Trusts & Estates Litigation
• Tax Controversy and Litigation
• Asbestos Defense/Toxic Torts/Product Liability Litigation

2023 Representative Matters

Cummings & Lockwood’s Litigation Group successfully handled a variety of litigation matters
in 2023 involving individuals, fiduciaries and businesses.

Representative Private Clients Cases

• We successfully negotiated resolutions of multiple disputes arising out of the deaths of a formerly high profile husband and wife, including disputes concerning valuable works of art and real properties in Atherton, California, and Mexico, and changes made to a family trust when they were in their nineties.
• We successfully negotiated resolutions of multiple disputes concerning a decedent’s estate that had been pending for more the ten years in Florida, including disputes concerning the value of an airplane, and the maintenance and repair costs of the airplane; the valuation and maintenance expense of a classic car collection; and the repayment of loans from various business entities owned by the decedent at the time of his death.
• We successfully represented the trustee of a trust for the benefit of the decedent’s minor children against claims brought by their mother to compel distributions and remove the trustee, including having the guardian ad litem for the minor children removed when he attempted to appeal this decision.
• We represented an estate in an appeal to the New York Surrogate’s Court from a decision by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance denying an estate tax deduction, resulting in a favorable settlement.
• We successfully represented the beneficiary of an estate in an appeal before the Connecticut Supreme Court involving the issue of the enforceability of in terrorem or “no contest” clauses in a trust and a will.
• We represented two individuals on an appeal before the Connecticut Supreme Court following the granting of summary judgment in favor of our clients on claims of tortious interference with an inheritance and a tortious interference with a contract.
• We successfully represented petitioners and respondents in conservatorship proceedings throughout Connecticut.
• We successfully represented fiduciaries and beneficiaries in will contests throughout Connecticut.
• We successfully represented numerous executors and trustees against breach of fiduciary duty claims and in fiduciary removal proceedings.
• We successfully represented trustees and executors in accounting proceedings throughout Connecticut.
• We represented several large estates in connection with audits by the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services on the issue of domicile.
• We obtained successful resolutions and settlements for individuals and families in various other probate contests, fiduciary challenges, and state and federal tax audits.

Representative Commercial Cases

• We successfully resolved multiple cases concerning alleged violations of non-competition agreements and misappropriation of trade secrets.
• We favorably resolved a number of commercial disputes for owners of closely-held businesses, as well as for employees and officers of public companies.
• We obtained favorable rulings in mediations, arbitrations, and in state and federal courts involving complex commercial disputes.
• We represented the insured in a dispute with a D&O carrier over the payment of benefits.
• We represented the purchaser of a large commercial business in an action against the Seller for breach of contract.
• We successfully settled a shareholder dispute where our individual client received the same significant share buy-out price as a major private equity firm.
• We served as lead coordinating counsel for a major, international oil and chemical company in connection with its national asbestos litigation docket, helping to achieve successful mediation results and settlements involving hundreds of claims throughout the United States. In addition, as necessary, we assisted with trial preparations and court trials.
• We represented the owner of a large industrial property in Connecticut in a complex dispute with the former owner of the property on issues arising from the sale to our client.
• We represented a Connecticut municipality in connection with a major personal property tax audit and tax appeal involving a large pipeline company.
• We represented a company in a dispute with multiple former shareholders who left for a competitor.
• We represented a private school in a tax appeal concerning a town’s revocation and denial of tax exemptions for the school’s on-campus faculty housing.
• We represented a closely held corporation in a dispute with a minority shareholder and helped facilitate a buyout of the shares.
• We represented an international contract manufacturing organization in a dispute with a large pharmaceutical company regarding pricing.

2022 Representative Matters

Cummings & Lockwood’s Litigation Group successfully handled a variety of litigation matters in 2022 involving individuals, fiduciaries and businesses.

Representative Private Clients Cases

• We represented an Estate in a dispute regarding a multi-million dollar charitable pledge, settling the matter favorably.
• We successfully represented petitioners and respondents in conservatorship proceedings throughout Connecticut. 
• We successfully represented fiduciaries and beneficiaries in will contests throughout Connecticut. 
• We successfully represented numerous executors and trustees against breach of fiduciary duty claims and in fiduciary removal proceedings.  
• We obtained successful resolutions and settlements for individuals and families in various other probate contests, fiduciary challenges, and state and federal tax audits.
• We achieved a historic settlement with the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services where it agreed to settle a potential multi-million dollar estate tax liability for $0.  
• We successfully settled an estate tax liability with the I.R.S after bringing a petition in United States Tax Court challenging the I.R.S.’s treatment of a Qualified Personal Residence Trust.  The client paid less than ten percent of the potential tax liability in settlement.
• We obtained the dismissal of objections to the admission of a will to probate in the Probate Division of the Circuit Court in Florida as untimely and failing to comply with Florida procedures.
• We successfully negotiated and obtained court approval of the settlement of two probate appeals and three civil actions involving multiple disputes between multiple parties that have been pending for more than five years. 
• We successfully represented trustees and executors in accounting proceedings throughout Connecticut.
• We represented two individuals on an appeal before the Connecticut Supreme Court following the granting of summary judgment in favor of our clients on claims of tortious interference with an inheritance and a tortious interference with a contract.
• We represented the beneficiary of an estate on an appeal before the Connecticut Supreme Court involving the issue of the enforceability of in terrorem or “no contest” clauses in a trust and a will.
• We represented several large Estates in connection with audits by the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services on the issue of domicile, resolving one appeal with the payment of no additional tax and obtaining a favorable result in another audit with millions of dollars in tax savings.
• We successfully represented the trust division of a major national bank in seeking and obtaining Probate Court approval for the division of a testamentary trust in both the Connecticut Probate Court and on appeal to the Connecticut Superior Court to more fairly allocate legal fees and expenses over the objections of the beneficiaries causing the legal fees and expenses to be incurred.  

Representative Commercial Cases

• We represented the owners of several major commercial office buildings in challenging real property tax assessments, resulting in millions of dollars in tax reductions.
• We successfully represented a Connecticut property owner in challenging a neighboring property owner’s construction of a shoreline flood and erosion control structure, and successfully  represented that property owner in the neighbor’s appeal to the Superior Court.
• We successfully resolved multiple cases concerning alleged violations of non-competition agreements and misappropriation of trade secrets.  
• We favorably resolved a number of commercial disputes for owners of closely-held businesses, as well as for employees and officers of public companies. 
• We obtained favorable rulings in mediations, arbitrations, and in state and federal courts involving complex commercial disputes. 
• We represented the purchaser of a large commercial bakery in a dispute with the Sellers.
• We represented an employer in the defense of a WARN Act class action in connection with plant closures.
• We represented the insured in a dispute with a D&O carrier over the payment of benefits.
• We represented the purchaser of a large commercial business in an action against the Seller for breach of contract.
• We won a significant land use appeal before the Connecticut Supreme Court for a major commercial developer.
• We successfully settled a shareholder dispute where our individual client received the same significant share buy-out price as a major private equity firm.
• We served as lead coordinating counsel for a major, international oil and chemical company in connection with its national asbestos litigation docket, helping to achieve successful mediation results and settlements involving hundreds of claims throughout the United States.  In addition, as necessary, we assisted with trial preparations and court trials.
• We settled a personal property tax appeal on behalf of a large commercial property owner in Stamford, Connecticut that resulted in a credit of more than $1 million and more than $700,000 per year in tax savings for the client going forward.
• We represented the owner of a large industrial property in Connecticut in a complex dispute with the former owner of the property on issues arising from the sale to our client.
• We represented a Connecticut municipality in connection with a major personal property tax audit  and tax appeal involving an large pipeline company.
• We represented a company in a dispute with multiple former shareholders who left for a competitor.
• We represented a private school in a tax appeal concerning a town’s revocation and denial of tax exemptions for the school’s on-campus faculty housing.
• We successfully represented a client before the Connecticut Appellate Court, overturning the granting of a prejudgment remedy against our client on the grounds that there was no probable cause. This was a significant victory as the Appellate Court rarely, if ever, reverses such a finding.

2021 Representative Matters

Cummings & Lockwood’s Litigation Group successfully handled a variety of litigation matters in 2021 involving individuals, fiduciaries and businesses, including the following:

• We represented the owners of several major commercial office buildings in challenging real property tax assessments, resulting in millions of dollars in tax reductions.
• We served as lead coordinating counsel for a major, international oil and chemical company in connection with its national asbestos litigation docket, helping to achieve successful mediation results and settlements involving hundreds of claims throughout the United States. In addition, as necessary, we assisted with trial preparations and court trials.
• We represented several large Estates in connection with audits by the Connecticut DRS on the issue of domicile.
• We represented a Connecticut taxpayer in a multi-million dollar personal property tax dispute.
• We represented a Connecticut municipality in connection with a major personal property tax audit involving an large pipeline company.
• We successfully represented a Connecticut property owner in challenging a neighboring property owner’s construction of a shoreline flood and erosion control structure, and successfully represented that property owner in the neighbor’s appeal to the Superior Court.
• We represented the Executor of an Estate, obtaining summary judgement on a claim for millions of dollars in Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan benefits.
• We represented an Estate in a dispute regarding a multi-million dollar charitable pledge.
• We successfully resolved multiple cases concerning alleged violations of non-competition agreements and misappropriation of trade secrets.
• We favorably resolved a number of commercial disputes for owners of closely held businesses, as well as for employees and officers of public companies.
• We obtained favorable rulings in mediations, arbitrations, and in state and federal courts involving complex commercial disputes.
• We successfully represented petitioners and respondents in conservatorship proceedings throughout Connecticut.
• We successfully represented fiduciaries and beneficiaries in will contests throughout Connecticut.
• We successfully represented numerous executors and trustees against breach of fiduciary duty claims and in fiduciary removal proceedings.
• We obtained successful resolutions and settlements for individuals and families in various other probate contests, fiduciary challenges and state and federal tax audits.
• We represented the purchaser of a large commercial bakery in a dispute with the Sellers.
• We represented the insured in a dispute with a D&O carrier over the payment of benefits.
• We successfully defended a Connecticut University in an arbitration against a seven figure damages claim brought by a cellular services entity for an alleged failure to extend a license agreement. The Arbitration Award was subsequently upheld by the Connecticut Superior Court.
• We successfully represented the executor of an estate in an appeal before the Connecticut Appellate Court in a case alleging tortious interference with inheritance and tortious interference with contract.

2020 Representative Matters

Cummings & Lockwood’s Litigation Group successfully handled a variety of matters in Connecticut and Florida, as well as on a national and regional basis.  These engagements covered a wide spectrum of cases involving individuals, fiduciaries and businesses.  Highlights of our successes in 2020 included:

• We successfully negotiated resolution of involuntary conservatorship proceeding against our client’s husband in Connecticut and an annulment action in Vermont brought by the husband’s adult children from his first marriage, alleging that their father lacked the capacity to marry our client.  Resolution allowed our client to remain married and live financially secure with her husband without interference from his children while still maintaining good relationships with the husband’s children and grandchildren from his first marriage. 
• We negotiated a favorable settlement on behalf of our clients, as executors and trustees, of an action for breach of contract to make a will, promissory estoppel, unjust enrichment, and to quiet title to real estate brought by the decedent’s paramour, who was approximately forty years younger than the decedent, in the Circuit Court in Palm Beach County, Florida. 
• After we successfully represented our client at trial in the Connecticut Probate Court, which denied admission of her father’s will that excluded our client to probate, and found the proponent of the will and others had defrauded and misappropriated assets from her father’s estate, we represented the client in the appeals to the Connecticut Superior Court from these Probate Court decisions, and brought a separate civil action against her father’s estate for intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress for psychologically and emotionally abusing the client for almost forty years up to and including excluding her from his will on his death.
• We successfully represented two of the largest real estate developers in Stamford, Connecticut in separate lawsuits against the Stamford Board of Representatives. Both of these matters were decided after hearings in the Connecticut Superior Court’s Land Use Docket in Hartford, Connecticut.
• We successfully represented a former Co-CEO of a leading asset management firm as co-counsel in a mediation, arbitration and Federal Court action involving compensation and discrimination claims against the firm totaling over $200 million.  The case settled and resulted in a significant favorable settlement for our client.  The case was widely reported in the international business press, including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Reuters, Fox Business News, The Financial Times, Institutional Investor, and Forbes.com.
• We successfully represented a large international law firm on appeal in a breach-of-contract action seeking in excess of $10 million in damages.
• We represented the owners of several major commercial office buildings in challenging real property tax assessments, resulting in millions of dollars in tax reductions. 
• We represented individuals in residential tax appeals before municipal boards of assessment appeals and the Superior Court, resulting in significant tax savings.
• We represented several large Estates in connection with audits by the Connecticut DRS on the issue of domicile.
• We represented a Connecticut taxpayer in a multi-million dollar personal property tax dispute.
• We represented a Connecticut municipality in connection with a major personal property tax audit.
• We successfully represented a Connecticut property owner in challenging a neighboring property owner’s construction of a shoreline flood and erosion control structure, and now represent that property owner in the neighbor’s appeal to the Superior Court.
• We represented an Estate in a dispute regarding a charitable pledge.
• We served as lead coordinating counsel for a major, international oil and chemical company in connection with its national asbestos litigation docket, helping to achieve successful mediation results and settlements involving hundreds of claims throughout the United States.  In addition, as necessary, we assisted with trial preparations and court trials.
• We successfully resolved multiple cases concerning alleged violations of non-competition agreements and misappropriation of trade secrets. 
• We favorably resolved a number of commercial disputes for owners of closely held businesses, as well as for employees and officers of public companies.
• We obtained favorable rulings in mediations, arbitrations, and in state and federal courts involving complex commercial disputes.
• We successfully represented petitioners and respondents in conservatorship proceedings throughout Connecticut.
• We successfully represented fiduciaries and beneficiaries in will contests throughout Connecticut.
• We obtained successful resolutions and settlements for individuals and families in various probate contests, fiduciary challenges and state and federal tax audits.

2019 Representative Matters

Cummings & Lockwood’s Litigation Group successfully handled a variety of matters in Connecticut and Florida, as well as on a national and regional basis.  These engagements covered a wide spectrum of cases involving individuals, fiduciaries and businesses.  Highlights of our successes in 2019 included:

• We served as lead counsel in the defense of the owner of a privately held drug manufacturing company against claims by three former executives over an alleged agreement with the  principal shareholder to split ownership of the company. This case went to arbitration in September 2019.
• We served as lead coordinating counsel for a major, international oil and chemical company in connection with its national asbestos litigation docket, helping to achieve successful mediation results and settlements involving hundreds of claims throughout the United States.  In addition, as necessary, we assisted with trial preparations and court trials.
• We represented a major pharmaceutical distributor in obtaining a dismissal of a large number of opioid-related lawsuits brought by Connecticut municipalities.
• We successfully defended the CEO of a public company in contempt proceedings brought against him for failing to produce documents from a separate Delaware corporation, which refused to produce the documents for our client notwithstanding that he was a member of its board of directors.
• We represented individuals as well as Estates in successfully resolving domicile challenges by the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services.
• We successfully represented a national purchasing cooperative before the Connecticut Appellate Court, obtaining an affirmance of a favorable lower court judgment on a Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices claim.
• We represented the owner of a shopping center in successfully resolving a lease dispute that provided our client with the ability to redevelop and expand its shopping center.
• We represented a digital marketing agency in successfully resolving a breach of contract action concerning complex website design issues.
• We were co-counsel in a major divorce case to enforce the provisions of a post-nuptial agreement, which was ultimately favorably settled.
• We represented the owners of several major commercial office buildings in challenging real property tax assessments, resulting in millions of dollars in tax reductions.
• We convinced the Connecticut Supreme Court to dismiss Probate Court proceedings restricting our client’s use of funds that had been awarded to her by the September 11th Victim’s Compensation Fund.   This litigation arose following the death of her husband in the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001.  In a unanimous decision written by the Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, Hynes v. Jones, 331 Conn. 385 (2019), the final judgment reversed the decisions of the Connecticut Appellate Court, Superior Court, and Probate Court.
• We successfully negotiated and obtained Probate Court approval of a settlement agreement resolving all of the disputes between the two co-trustees of eight multigenerational family trusts and 28 separate adult beneficiaries in four separate generations, and a guardian ad litem for the unborn, unknown and unascertained issue of the grantor, concerning various trust distributions.
• We achieved summary judgment in the Connecticut Superior Court in favor of our client, who asserted a breach of contract claim against a decedent’s estate, defeating various estate defenses, including those based on the statute of limitations, the parole evidence rule and the statute of frauds.
• We successfully resolved multiple cases concerning alleged violations of non-competition agreements and misappropriation of trade secrets. 
• We favorably resolved a number of commercial disputes for owners of closely held businesses, as well as for employees and officers of public companies.
• We obtained favorable rulings in mediations, arbitrations, and in state and federal courts involving complex commercial disputes.
• We successfully represented petitioners and respondents in conservatorship proceedings throughout Connecticut.
• We successfully represented fiduciaries and beneficiaries in will contests throughout Connecticut. 
• We obtained successful resolutions and settlements for individuals and families in various probate contests, fiduciary challenges and state and federal tax audits.   

2018 Representative Matters

Cummings & Lockwood’s Litigation Group successfully handled a variety of matters in Connecticut and Florida, as well as on a national and regional basis.  These engagements covered a wide spectrum of cases involving individuals, fiduciaries and businesses.  Highlights of our successes in 2018 included:

• We represented a major pharmaceutical distributor in a large number of opioid-related lawsuits brought by Connecticut municipalities.
• We defended a major trust company in a two week multi-million dollar arbitration, which was ultimately favorably settled.
• We served as lead coordinating counsel for a major, international oil and chemical company in connection with its national asbestos litigation docket, helping to achieve successful mediation results and settlements involving hundreds of claims throughout the United States.  In addition, as necessary, we assisted with trial preparations and court trials.
• We obtained a $6 million judgment on behalf of a major investor defrauded in a Ponzi scheme.
• We worked as part of a successful litigation team defending an international bank from alleged Frank-Dodd Act violations in the U.S. District Court.
• We successfully resolved numerous claims and litigation matters on behalf of a $50 million estate.
• We obtained a six-figure judgment following a bench trial on behalf of an elderly client in an action based on breach of a promissory note.
• We obtained favorable tax appeal settlements on two eight-figure waterfront properties in Darien.
• We obtained a significant settlement in a fraud action on behalf of a client who claimed he was convinced to invest in a business based on numerous misrepresentations.
• We participated in several major Connecticut divorce actions, including trial work and complex asset valuation issues, involving several large trusts.
• We successfully negotiated severance agreements and employment contracts on behalf of numerous senior corporate executives, financial services professionals and private employers.
• We successfully resolved multiple cases concerning alleged violations of non-competition agreements and misappropriation of trade secrets. 
• We favorably resolved a number of commercial disputes for owners of closely-held businesses as well as for employees and officers of public companies.
• We obtained favorable rulings in mediations, arbitrations, and in state and federal courts involving scores of complex commercial disputes.
• We successfully defended employment discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful discharge claims for a range of employers. 
• We brought to a successful resolution multiple claims on behalf of and against a decedent’s estate in both the Probate Court and several Superior Court actions, resulting in our client's appointment as executor of the decedent’s estate and trustee of the decedent’s trusts, enabling the funding of millions of dollars to charities in accordance with the decedent’s will and trusts. 
• We obtained a Probate Court decree ordering an attorney-in-fact to make restitution to a decedent’s estate of more than $8 million in gifts made using a power of attorney granted before the decedent’s death while the decedent was incapacitated.
• We successfully represented petitioners and respondents in conservatorship proceedings throughout Connecticut.
• We successfully represented fiduciaries and beneficiaries in will contests throughout Connecticut. 
• We brought to a successful conclusion our representation of a foreign bank in Probate Court proceedings to compel the disclosure of the decedent’s assets in the foreign bank in compliance with U.S., Connecticut and foreign law.  
• We argued a case in the Connecticut Supreme Court on behalf of the surviving spouse of a victim of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the issue of whether a September 11th Victim Compensation Fund award is subject to Connecticut Probate Court jurisdiction. 
• We obtained scores of successful resolutions and settlements for individuals and families in various probate contests, fiduciary challenges and state and federal tax audits, in addition to those mentioned above. 

2017 Representative Matters

Cummings & Lockwood’s Litigation Group successfully handled a variety of matters in Connecticut and Florida, as well as on a national and regional basis.  These engagements covered a wide spectrum of cases involving individuals, fiduciaries and businesses.  Highlights of our successes in 2017 included:

• We won a judgment in a family dispute upholding the validity of amendments to various trusts after a seven day bench trial in the Connecticut Superior Court. 
• We obtained a judgment in favor of deceased trustees of eight family trusts against multiple objections to accountings for each of the trusts, including recovery of attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred.
• We were granted certification to the Connecticut Supreme Court on behalf of the surviving spouse of a victim of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the issue of whether a September 11th Victim Compensation Fund award is subject to Connecticut Probate Court jurisdiction. 
• We obtained a high six figure arbitration award for a client in a complex breach of contract dispute.
• We successfully defended a client in a two week arbitration which resulted in an award of no damages and a ruling upholding a restrictive covenant protecting our client’s business.
• We obtained dismissal of a conservatorship proceeding in the Connecticut Probate Court after more than five years of litigation, including appeals to both the Connecticut Appellate Court and Connecticut Supreme Court. 
• We resolved a complex family dispute between two siblings, involving two civil actions in the Connecticut Superior Court and a conservatorship proceeding in the Connecticut Probate Court, as well as a will contest in the Connecticut Probate Court and subsequent litigation in the Superior Court.
• We obtained a favorable ruling from the Connecticut Appellate Court upholding our client’s trial court victory in a debt action concerning complex questions of document negotiability under the Uniform Commercial Code.
• We obtained summary judgment on behalf of a national franchisor’s purchasing cooperative in an unfair trade practices action brought by an unsuccessful bidder.
• We served as lead coordinating counsel for a major, international oil and chemical company in connection with its national asbestos litigation docket, helping to achieve successful mediation results and settlements involving hundreds of claims throughout the United States.  In addition, as necessary, we assisted with trial preparations and court trials. 
• We obtained scores of successful resolutions and settlements for individuals and families in various probate contests, conservatorship proceedings, fiduciary challenges and state and federal tax audits, in addition to those mentioned above. 
• We participated in several major Connecticut divorce actions, including trial work and complex asset valuation issues, involving several large trusts.
• We successfully negotiated severance agreements and employment contracts on behalf of numerous senior corporate executives, financial services professionals and private employers.
• We successfully resolved multiple cases concerning alleged violations of non-competition agreements and misappropriation of trade secrets.
• We favorably resolved a number of commercial disputes for owners of closely-held businesses as well as for employees and officers of public companies.
• We obtained favorable rulings in mediations, arbitrations, and in state and federal courts involving scores of complex commercial disputes.
• We successfully defended employment discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful discharge claims for a range of employers.  

2016 Representative Matters

• We successfully settled a multi-million dollar shareholder dispute on behalf of the owner of a major retail establishment.
• We successfully resolved a multi-million dollar breach of fiduciary action against a client’s investment advisor.
• We favorably resolved a number of commercial disputes for owners of closely held businesses as well as for employees and officers of public companies.
• We obtained favorable rulings in mediations, arbitrations, and in state and federal courts involving scores of complex commercial disputes.
• We resolved all disputes amongst five beneficiaries, two executors, and multiple living and deceased trustees with respect to major estate accountings, two inter vivos trusts, and a testamentary trust, resulting in the submission and approval of all accountings, and the release and discharge of all executors and trustees.
• We acted as special counsel to a Connecticut estate settling contentious litigation between several beneficiaries and the executor of the estate.
• We participated in several major Connecticut divorce actions, including trial work and complex asset valuation issues, including several large trusts.
• We served as lead coordinating counsel for a major, international oil and chemical company in connection with its national asbestos litigation docket, helping to achieve successful mediation results and advantageous settlements involving hundreds of claims throughout the United States.  In addition, as necessary, we assisted with trial preparations and court trials.
• We obtained summary judgment in the U.S. District Court in favor of the executors of a decedent’s estate on a Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime claim brought by the caretaker of the decedent’s farm animals and retired race horses based upon the “agricultural” exemption to the FLSA.
• We prevailed at trial in a trust construction proceeding in the Connecticut Superior Court.
• We successfully settled a construction contractor dispute on behalf of a major Connecticut University.
• We successfully defended numerous employment discrimination and wrongful discharge claims for a range of companies.
• We obtained scores of successful resolutions and settlements for individuals and families in various probate contests, conservatorship proceedings, fiduciary challenges and state and federal tax audits.
• We successfully negotiated severance agreements and employment contracts on behalf of numerous senior corporate executives, financial services professionals and private employers.

Alerts & Updates

• 2023 Cummings & Lockwood Firmwide Annual Update
• 2022 Cummings & Lockwood Firmwide Annual Update
• The Department of the Treasury Issues Proposed Regulations Implementing the Corporate Transparency Act
• 2020 Cummings & Lockwood Annual Update
• CLIENT ALERT: Litigation Will Follow This Crisis
• 2019 Cummings & Lockwood Annual Update

Articles

• Hedge Fund Managers Must Exercise Restraint in Deploying Indemnification Provisions

Books & Guides

• Probate Jurisdiction and Procedure in Connecticut, 3d
• LexisNexis Practice Guide: Connecticut Contract Litigation
• Probate Litigation in Connecticut, 3d

Brochures

• Sophisticated Legal Services for Individuals and Families, Family Offices, Privately-Held Businesses and Charitable Entities

News & Press Releases

• 41 Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys Have Been Recognized by Best Lawyers® in America in Its 2025 Edition
• 42 Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys Have Been Recognized by Best Lawyers® in America in Its 2024 Edition
• 29 Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys Named Best Lawyers® in Connecticut for 2023
• Stamford Office - 2023 Best Lawyers in America® and Ones to Watch™
• 41 Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys Have Been Recognized by Best Lawyers® in America in Its 2023 Edition
• 12 Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys Have Been Recognized as Connecticut Super Lawyers and Rising Stars in 2022
• Michael P. Kaelin, Principal in Cummings & Lockwood’s Litigation Group, Has Been Recognized by Chambers High Net Worth Guide as a Notable Practitioner in Private Wealth Disputes
• Cummings & Lockwood Garners the Top Spot in Private Wealth Law in Connecticut in the 2022 Chambers High Net Worth Guide for the 7th Consecutive Year
• Steven I. Frenkel Appointed New Chairman of Cummings & Lockwood’s Litigation Group
• William N. Wright, Litigation Attorney, Promoted to Partner at Cummings & Lockwood LLC
• Cummings & Lockwood LLC Recognized as a “Best Law Firm” by Best Lawyers and U.S. News & World Report
• 18 Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys Named Top Lawyers in Fairfield County, Connecticut in 2021
• Five Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys Recognized as “Ones to Watch” in 2021 by The Best Lawyers in America
• 35 Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys in Connecticut and Florida Have Been Named Among The Best Lawyers in America for 2021, 2 Attorneys Received Lawyer of the Year Awards and 8 Attorneys Have Been Identified as the Ones to Watch
• Cummings & Lockwood's Connecticut and Florida Offices Ranked as Best Law Firms in 2021
• 24 Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys Named in the 2020 Edition of Connecticut’s Best Lawyers
• Cummings & Lockwood Connecticut and Florida Offices Ranked as Best Law Firms in 2020
• 16 Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys Have Been Named 2019 New England Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
• 34 Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys in Connecticut and Florida Named Among The Best Lawyers in America for 2020
• Cummings & Lockwood Successfully Represents 9/11 Widow in Connecticut Supreme Court
• Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys in Connecticut and Florida Named 2019 Best Lawyers in America
• 17 Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys Have Been Named 2018 New England Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
• Cummings & Lockwood’s Naples, Florida Office Marks Its 40th Anniversary
• Connecticut Supreme Court Recognizes Cause of Action Against Health Care Provider
• 17 Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys Have Been Named 2017 Connecticut Super Lawyers and 2017 Rising Stars
• Litigation Attorney, David T. Martin, Authors LexisNexis Practice Guide: Connecticut Contract Litigation
• Michael P. Kaelin of Cummings & Lockwood Authors Book Entitled, Probate Litigation in Connecticut
• Cummings & Lockwood Selected as "Best Law Firm" by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers
• 11 Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys Named Among The 200 Outstanding Lawyers of Fairfield County
• 16 Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys Have Been Named 2016 Connecticut Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
• 21 Cummings & Lockwood Attorneys in Connecticut and Florida Named 2017 Best Lawyers in America
• Cummings & Lockwood Wins Significant Probate Law Ruling from Connecticut Supreme Court Concerning Calculation of Surviving Spouse's Statutory Share
• In Case of First Impression, Cummings & Lockwood Client Wins $4.5 Million Trial Judgment in Complex Assignment of Debt Action
• Cummings & Lockwood's Trial Group Wins Multi-Million Dollar Trial of Hedge Fund Partnership Dispute

Videos

• Introduction to Cummings & Lockwood’s Litigation Group
• Domicile Audit and Appeals
• Anatomy of a Will Contest