Todd Regan, a partner in the firm’s Construction and Surety Practice Groups, has a wide range of experience representing all participants in the construction and surety industries in project-related claims and disputes, and in negotiating and drafting of project-related agreements. He also has significant experience representing businesses in complex commercial disputes. Todd is honored to have been voted by his peers as Best Lawyers® "Lawyer of the Year - Construction Law, Hartford" for 2022 and 2024.
Dispute Resolution
Todd regularly advises construction managers, trade contractors, owners, and design professionals in disputes concerning project delays and inefficiencies, defective design and construction, unfair trade practices, bad faith, bond claims, and mechanic's liens. He frequently represents parties in construction disputes in the state and federal courts of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York, and he has argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the Connecticut Supreme Court.
Todd has represented parties in disputes in a variety of industries and projects, including subways and public transportation; large infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, and pipelines; university residence halls and dining facilities; military bases; public school construction and renovations; energy projects including power plants and solar farms; and high end residential construction. Notably, he represented a bridge contractor in an appeal before the Connecticut Supreme Court in a case that helped define the scope of the waiver of the State's sovereign immunity for disputed claims on public construction projects. The case resulted in the reinstatement of a $13 million arbitration award in favor of the contractor.
Contract Procurement and Project Delivery
Todd frequently counsels clients in the negotiation of complex construction agreements, including agreements with construction managers, general contractors, owners, engineers, and subcontractors. He has represented clients in the negotiation of agreements for a wide range of projects, including manufacturing facilities, affordable housing developments, infrastructure, high rise hotels, tenant fit-outs and apartment buildings.
Surety Claims
Todd leads the firm's Surety Practice Group. He has extensive experience representing sureties with respect to payment and performance bond claims, contractor defaults, takeover and completion agreements, and the defense of bad faith claims.
He successfully argued on behalf of a surety before the Connecticut Supreme Court in defense of a bad faith claim stemming from the surety’s handling of a payment bond claim. He defeated the claimant’s effort to create an implied judicial default provision into the statute, thereby creating new law on the proper interpretation of the state’s Little Miller Act.
Todd successfully defended a surety against bad faith claims asserted by a bond principal in an effort to extinguish a $100 million indemnity obligation stemming from a contractor default. He also successfully argued on behalf of a surety before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on a dispute concerning a surety's right to seek an attachment of an indemnitor’s assets under Massachusetts law.
Todd serves as one of just eight members nationally of the Attorney Advisory Council for the National Association of Surety Bond Producers. He has authored articles and presented on a variety of topics concerning the surety industry and is actively involved in numerous industry organizations, such as the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial and Insurance Section Fidelity and Surety Law Committee, and The Surety Claims Institute.
Pro Bono and Community Involvement
Todd is actively involved with community organizations, having served as a volunteer reader for the Hartford Public Schools, a pro bono attorney with Lawyers for Children America and as a board member for several nonprofit organizations, including Connecticut Landmarks, the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery, and Organized Parents Make a Difference.
Admissions
- Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- State of Connecticut
- State of New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 1st Circuit
- U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut
- U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
Memberships
- Connecticut Bar Association, Construction Law Section
- American Bar Association
- Forum on the Construction Industry
- Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section
- Fidelity & Surety Law Committee
- Surety Claims Institute
- National Association of Surety Bond Producers, Attorney Advisory Council
- Associated Builders and Contractors of Connecticut
- Associated General Contractors of Connecticut
- Construction Lawyers Society of America, Fellow
Community Involvement
- Connecticut Landmarks, Board of Trustees
- United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut, United Way volunteer reader, Clark School, Hartford, Connecticut
- Lawyers for Children America, Pro bono lawyer in child neglect cases
- Organized Parents Make a Difference, Board of Trustees.