“I have the ability to identify and manage all of the details of a complex case while simultaneously tracking the big picture. In this way, I can chart a course to a favorable resolution, whether through settlement by the parties or as the result of a judgment after a full trial.”
Brian is Chair of the firm’s Litigation practice group. An experienced trial attorney, Brian practices before administrative agencies, arbitration panels, and state and federal trial and appellate courts. His litigation practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, including environmental claims, insurance coverage, unfair trade practices, fraud, contracts, and trade secrets.
Brian regularly represents both plaintiffs seeking damages or injunctive relief and defendants establishing defenses and asserting counterclaims, allowing him to understand any particular case from all perspectives. He has successfully represented plaintiffs and defendants in arbitration, state court, and federal court. He believes that an aggressive approach to a dispute requires the parties to quickly and honestly assess their positions and to identify reasonable resolutions. As a result of this practice style, Brian often is able to achieve a settlement to the full satisfaction of his clients.
Brian is a member of the Connecticut Bar and is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States Tax Court, and the United States Supreme Court. Brian joined the firm in 1992 and became a principal in 1999. Brian received his B.S. (Economics, 1988), cum laude, from the California Institute of Technology and his J.D. (1992), cum laude, from Harvard Law School.
- Co-lead plaintiff counsel in breach of intellectual property development agreement that resulted in a multi-million dollar judgment after trial, including an award of approximately $1 million of attorneys’ fees under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act.
- Multi-million dollar settlement on behalf of a client on the eve of an arbitration hearing involving disputes over a physician’s retirement benefits.
- Multi-million dollar settlement on behalf of a client on the eve of a federal trial where the plaintiff sought unpaid commissions on the sale of products it designed.
- Multi-million dollar settlement on behalf of a client after five days of a Connecticut Uniform Trade Secrets Act jury trial.
- Second chair in a securities fraud class action that settled for $7,700,000 in the midst of trial.
- One of only a handful of Connecticut attorneys who has obtained an award of one million dollars or more in punitive damages under the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act.
- Arbitration successes including a $3 million dollar award against the purchaser of a commercial property for a breach of the purchase agreement.
- After thirty days of trial, obtained a judgment in the clients’ favor on all counts asserted by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, pursuant to which the State sought millions of dollars in civil penalties and various equitable relief under the Connecticut Transfer Act and other environmental statutes.
- Successfully defended a multi-million dollar claim by the purchaser of a commercial property seeking to hold the seller liable for environmental investigation and remediation costs.
- Successfully defended a claim by a commercial subcontractor against the property owner for an allegedly unpaid balance and, in that same case, successfully prosecuted a Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act counterclaim against the subcontractor for submitting false documentation.
- New Haven County Bar Association, Member
- American Bar Association, Member
- Meriden, Connecticut, City Council (elected, 2007-2019)
Practice Areas
• Complex Commercial Litigation
• Environmental Litigation
• Municipal Law
Education
• Harvard Law School (J.D.)
– cum laude
• California Institute of Technology (B.S.)
– cum laude
Bar Admissions
• Connecticut
Court Admissions
• U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut
• Second Circuit Court of Appeals
• U.S. Tax Court
• U.S. Supreme Court