TODD & WELD - Key Persons
Alycia Kennedy is a veteran trial lawyer who assists clients in navigating business and other litigation disputes and obtaining favorable results.
Alycia Kennedy concentrates her practice on litigation involving business disputes and an array of other areas including employment litigation, defamation law, condominium disputes, civil rights litigation, and appellate litigation.
A veteran litigator, Ms. Kennedy assists clients in all phases of civil litigation, including examining witnesses and making opening and closing arguments at trial, arguing dispositive motions, drafting pleadings, conducting depositions, negotiating settlements, and developing litigation strategy. She works with experts in preparing their testimony and written reports on highly complex issues. In her appellate practice, Ms. Kennedy has argued before the Massachusetts Appeals Court and the Supreme Judicial Court.
Recent representative results of Ms. Kennedy include:
Obtaining summary judgment dismissing an employee's Massachusetts Wage Act claim filed in Massachusetts Superior Court
Playing a substantial role on the team that secured a $30 million breach of contract settlement for an auto executive
Obtaining the first known ruling in Massachusetts applying the Commonwealth's breach of contract statute of limitations despite a choice-of-law provision in a corporate operating agreement stating that Delaware law controls all disputes related to the agreement.
Benjamin Wish was named as a 2021 Lawyer of the Year by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.
Benjamin J. Wish, a partner at the firm, is a veteran trial attorney concentrating his practice on complex commercial litigation, shareholder and real estate disputes, and white-collar criminal defense. He regularly appears in federal and state trial and appellate courts on a wide range of matters. Mr. Wish also represents clients on a pro bono basis in the defense of their First Amendment rights.
Mr. Wish prides himself on tailoring aggressive, creative approaches to seek expeditious resolutions for his clients. He enjoys tackling challenging matters and especially the opportunity to help individuals and entities in their times of need. Mr. Wish takes the time necessary to listen and understand his clients' priorities from the outset to ensure that the approach is crafted to achieve those goals as efficiently as possible.
His clients include international and national businesses, Massachusetts-based enterprises such as technology firms, real estate developers, and networks of automobile dealerships, and individuals.
Mr. Wish's representative accomplishments include:
Securing a $30 million settlement on behalf of a Massachusetts-based auto executive resolving a lawsuit against various defendants for breach of contract and other claims.
Successfully defending a pain medicine physician at trial in federal court against criminal charges that he violated federal drug distribution laws, resulting in the jury acquitting the physician of all charges.
Obtaining a ruling from the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversing an order finding the guarantor on a commercial real estate loan liable under an indemnity agreement.
Persuading a Massachusetts Superior Court judge to strike as violative of constitutional free speech rights the challenged portions of a school committee's policy on the public's participation in its meetings.
Charlotte Bednar advises clients on a wide range of matters including business disputes, real estate litigation, employment litigation and counseling, and litigation against government agencies. She is an experienced litigator, representing clients in federal and state trial and appellate courts.
Prior to joining Todd & Weld, Ms. Bednar represented clients in business litigation, product liability actions, class actions, employment disputes, and real estate disputes.
Practice Areas
Practice Areas
Christian G. Kiely concentrates his practice on business litigation, representing companies and individuals in a wide range of commercial disputes. He also represents clients in matters involving defamation and First Amendment law, government investigations, and white-collar criminal defense.
Recent representative accomplishments of Mr. Kiely include:
Negotiating a widely-publicized settlement on behalf of prominent attorney Alan Dershowitz, in which a woman who had accused him of sexual abuse agreed to dismiss her claim in exchange for no money and to issue a statement acknowledging that she "may have made a mistake" in identifying Mr. Dershowitz as one of her abusers
Persuading the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to revive a regulatory taking claim alleging that the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, in order to punish the firm's client for perceived malfeasance during the casino licensing process, unconstitutionally coerced the firm's client into accepting a $40 million reduction in the sales price for land that it sold to Wynn Resorts for the development of the Encore Boston Harbor Resort
Representing parents charged in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions prosecution
Obtaining a defense verdict following a bench trial defeating a commercial tenant's claim in Massachusetts Superior Court for more than $7 million based on alleged interference in a build out of a Domino's Pizza franchise location
Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Kiely previously served as a law clerk to United States District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock, and Associate Justice Robert J. Cordy of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
He graduated first in his class from Suffolk University Law School in 2012 and is a 2009 graduate of Dartmouth College.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- Representative Results Include
Persuaded the Massachusetts Appeals Court to uphold the confidentiality of mediation communications and to reject adoption of a fraud exception to the confidentiality provisions in the Massachusetts mediation statute (G.L. c. 233, ยง 23C)
Obtained million-dollar settlement on behalf of a former senior executive in claims under Massachusetts Wage Act for commissions and other compensation and for retaliatory termination
Obtained an $800,000 settlement in a disability/handicap discrimination case brought under M.G.L. c. 151B in Norfolk Superior Court.
W.B. Mason, et al. v. Staples, Inc., et al., 12 Mass. L. Rptr. No. 26, 603 (March 26, 2001) (van Gestel, J.) (successfully enforced Staples' noncompetition agreement in the first noncompetition injunction case tried in the Massachusetts Business Litigation Session)
Todd & Weld Founding Partner Christopher Weld advises clients in high stakes litigation matters typically involving complex issues of substantial value.
Job Titles:
- Discovery Master, Guardian and Conservator
David Rich has achieved considerable courtroom success with multiple multimillion-dollar jury verdicts on behalf of clients.
David H. Rich concentrates his varied civil litigation practice on complex business and commercial litigation, First Amendment law, and employment law. He guides clients on the best approach to their litigation challenges - from trying cases to attempting reasonable compromises out of court. Bottom line: Mr. Rich is always prepared to win at trial, which often leads to favorable pre-trial resolutions.
Together with Megan C. Deluhery, Mr. Rich is Co-Managing Partner of the firm.
Mr. Rich has obtained several jury verdicts, including a $3.5 million defamation award from a federal jury on behalf of a Saudi Arabian scientist, as well as favorable bench trial decisions, including a $6 million judgment for a prominent neurosurgeon involved in contract dispute with a major regional hospital over the failed development of a brain and spine institute.
Other diverse matters Mr. Rich has successfully tried in the state and federal include:
a state Superior Court judge suing a media entity for defamation
a harness horse racing facility suing a contractor for fraud
a local investment banker suing for an investment banking fee
a former chair of a board of selectmen suing for defamation
Mr. Rich has provided defense counsel in a lender liability lawsuit, in a suit on a promissory note and guarantee, and in a class action against a regional automobile dealership alleging RICO violations. He has represented an insurance brokerage firm on a wide variety of employment-related matters.
Mr. Rich is quoted frequently in the media and regularly lectures on matters relating to defamation law, employment matters and trial practice.
David Meier brings the insight, judgment, and perspective of two decades of experience as a respected trial prosecutor to his work defending individuals and companies against criminal charges.
Elaine Epstein guides her family law clients through often complex and challenging legal issues to achieve the results they are seeking.
Over the course of her distinguished career, Elaine Epstein has served in numerous leadership roles, including president of the Massachusetts Bar Association, first president of the Massachusetts Women's Bar Association, and as a member of the Judicial Nominating Committee and the Board of Bar Overseers.
Elizabeth L. Gardon concentrates her practice on complex civil litigation matters. She represents clients in all phases of litigation, from drafting pleadings and managing pre-trial discovery, to arguing at trial and pre-trial motions.
Prior to joining Todd & Weld, Ms. Gardon served as a law clerk to a justice of the New York State Supreme Court in Rockland County, where she researched complex legal issues, drafted opinions, and assisted in leading settlement conferences.
During law school, Ms. Gardon was managing editor of the Northeastern University Law Review.
Job Titles:
- Counsels Clients Involved in Complex Civil Litigation Matters
Evan Johnson is an experienced litigator focusing his practice on representing clients involved in business disputes.
Evan A. Johnson concentrates his practice on complex commercial disputes. Mr. Johnson counsels clients in all phases of litigation and arbitration, including drafting pleadings, managing pre-trial discovery, handling motions, and arguing at trial.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Johnson worked in private practice on federal whistleblower cases and worked in the Financial Litigation Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts.
He obtained his law degree in 2017 from Boston University School of Law, and his undergraduate degree magna cum laude in 2012 from the State University of New York at Geneseo.
Todd & Weld Founding Partner Gary Todd is recognized as one of the top family law attorneys in the U.S.
Gary Todd is recognized locally and nationally as a preeminent family law practitioner specializing in domestic relations and probate litigation. He has successfully negotiated, mediated, and tried numerous family law issues at the trial court and appellate levels, including divorce, custody, paternity, parental rights, complex support matters, property division, removal, modification, and contempt actions. Mr. Todd has broad experience drafting and negotiating prenuptial and postnuptial agreements.
Mr. Todd fully understands and appreciates the complex issues facing his clients, and, whether arguing in court or negotiating settlements, he applies his extensive experience and knowledge of the law to convincingly articulate positions that has contributed to a long track record of achieving favorable results.
Best Lawyers in America, a longstanding and well-respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, since 2012 has honored Mr. Todd as a leading practitioner in Family Law, as well as Litigation - Trusts and Estates. Since 2007 he has been selected to Massachusetts Super Lawyers for Family Law. Mr. Todd is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the directory's highest peer rating.
Mr. Todd is a recognized leader in the legal profession having served in a variety of bar association roles, including:
President of the Massachusetts Family and Probate American Inn of Court
Co-Chair of the Steering Committee of the Boston Bar Association's Family Law Council
Board of Directors of Massachusetts Association of Guardians Ad Litem, Inc.
Board of Directors of Association of Family Court and Community Professionals
Family Law Section Council of the Massachusetts Bar Association
Advisory Committee to Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education
Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
Fellow of the Boston Bar Foundation
A prominent thought leader, Mr. Todd is lecturer and adjunct professor of family law at the New England School of Law. He volunteers as Trial Advisor for the Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy Program, as well as a judge for the New England Law Trial Competition.
Mr. Todd is a frequent lecturer on family law and trial practice issues for the Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston Bar Association, the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Suffolk University School of Law, and Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy program. He has authored articles on divorce and family law in several legal publications.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- View Administration
Job Titles:
- Director of Marketing and Business Development
Job Titles:
- Director of Associate Development and Recruitment