General Information
Overview
Founded in 1909, Cummings & Lockwood provides sophisticated legal counsel to individuals, families, family offices, closely held businesses, charitable entities and other commercial enterprises in the areas of trusts and estates, corporate and finance, litigation and arbitration and commercial and residential real estate. The firm has over 200 attorneys, fiduciary accountants, paralegals and staff, as well as six offices in Stamford, Greenwich and West Hartford, Connecticut, and in Naples, Bonita Springs and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. While many of our clients reside in Connecticut, New York and Florida, we have clients in nearly all 50 U.S. states and in over 25 countries around the world.
Private Clients PracticeCummings & Lockwood has one of the largest trusts and estates practices in the United States, with a significant private client base of high net worth individuals and families, closely-held businesses, and national charities and foundations. Our private clients attorneys, many of whom have been elected to the prestigious American College of Trusts and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), are experienced in the areas of estate planning and administration; estate, income and gift tax; trust formation and management; executor and trustee services; charitable giving and foundations; special needs planning; probate law; and residential real estate. Whether dealing with recently acquired assets or family fortunes that span generations, the Firm provides innovative strategies and solutions to preserve, enhance and transition our clients' wealth, as well as meet their varied legal needs and personal goals.
Commercial PracticeCummings & Lockwood has an elite commercial practice with numerous, professionally-recognized lawyers who are experienced in the areas of litigation and dispute resolution; real estate investment and development; banking, lending and credit transactions; corporate acquisitions and divestitures; and partnership, limited liability company and tax matters. Our clients include entrepreneurs, closely-held companies, regional, national and international corporations, hedge funds, private equity firms, financial institutions and not-for-profit organizations.
In addition, Cummings & Lockwood's commercial and private clients lawyers regularly work together to provide entity planning, business succession planning, tax guidance and litigation to privately-owned businesses of all sizes and industries.
Rankings
Cummings & Lockwood LLC is metro ranked in 9 practice areas. Best Law Firms rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process.
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Rankings
Metro Rankings
Practice Areas
- Appellate Practice
- Banking and Finance Law
- Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships)
- Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law
- Commercial
- Commercial Finance Law
- Commercial Litigation
- Corporate Governance Law
- Corporate Law
- Employment Law - Management
- Entertainment Law - Music
- Environmental Law
- Estate Planning
- Fiduciary Duties
- Gift Planning
- Land Use and Zoning Law
- Litigation - Banking and Finance
- Litigation - Bankruptcy
- Litigation - Environmental
- Litigation - Labor and Employment
- Litigation - Land Use and Zoning
- Litigation - Trusts and Estates
- Litigation and Controversy - Tax
- Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
- Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Nonprofit / Charities Law
- Nonprofit Organizations and Charitable Giving
- Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law
- Probate
- Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
- Real Estate
- Real Estate Law
- Tax
- Tax Law
- Trust Administration
- Trusts and Estates
- Venture Capital Law
- Wealth Management
Individuals Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America®
Awards
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Significant Matters
Cummings & Lockwood's Trial Group Wins Multi-Million Dollar Trial of Hedge Fund Partnership Dispute
C&L recently obtained trial damages of $5,783,028.00 in a derivative lawsuit brought by two investors on behalf of a hedge fund partnership. Over the course of two weeks, the case was tried to a judge sitting on the Complex Litigation Docket for the Superior Court for the State of Connecticut.
After the trial, the court ruled in favor of C&L’s clients. The partnership successfully claimed that the hedge fund’s investment advisor, general partner and the individual who controlled the corporate entities, converted and misappropriated millions of dollars from the fund for purported “losses”, “fees” and other internal fund expenses that the court ruled they were not entitled to take. The court further determined that this conduct was a breach of fiduciary duty.
In Case of First Impression, Cummings & Lockwood Client Wins $4.5 Million Trial Judgment in Complex Assignment of Debt Action
In a case of first impression in Connecticut, C&L’s litigation group obtained a judgment after trial of $4,468,839.71 on behalf of the purchaser of a debt evidenced by a promissory note. C&L was co-counsel in the litigation along with counsel from California.
The case raised complex questions of whether or not the promissory note at issue was governed by Article 3 of the Uniform Commercial Code. The defendants argued that because the note was lost by the purchaser’s predecessor-in-interest, the purchaser could not recover pursuant to Article 3-309.
The case was tried courtside on the Complex Litigation Docket for the Superior Court for the State of Connecticut, and the court ruled that the Uniform Commercial Code did not apply. The court held that because the promissory note did not contain a fixed amount of debt, it was outside the scope of the U.C.C. It entered judgment in C&L’s client’s favor and further awarded attorneys’ fees and pre- and post-judgment interest.
Cummings & Lockwood Wins Significant Probate Law Ruling from Connecticut Supreme Court Concerning Calculation of Surviving Spouse's Statutory Share
Cummings & Lockwood recently obtained a significant ruling in favor of its client from the Connecticut Supreme Court concerning the manner in which a surviving spouse’s statutory share is to be calculated. Cummings & Lockwood successfully argued before the court that the statutory share, which is the portion of an estate that goes to a surviving spouse who was not included in the deceased spouse’s will, is to be based upon the value of the estate’s assets at the time of distribution as opposed to the value at the date of death.
This ruling was particularly significant for Cummings & Lockwood's client, who had served as executrix of the estate, because the value of the estate’s assets had depreciated significantly between the date of death and distribution. The Supreme Court’s decision is one of its two or three most significant decisions in its history concerning the statutory share and will impact the manner in which the share is calculated going forward.