Partnering with clients in the business of law

Founded in 1967, Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C. has grown in size, capabilities and reputation to become recognized as one of the major Connecticut law firms. We have a sophisticated and full-service legal and governmental affairs practice providing comprehensive representation to our clients on a local, regional and national basis.   The Firm’s founders believed that a modern law firm had to offer its clients more than just a knowledge of the law.  A successful law firm needed to be proactive, forward thinking and willing to challenge  tradition.  It needed to internalize the problems and issues confronting its clients in order to make things happen for its clients.  In short, it needed to partner with its clients in the business of law.  Today, Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C. remains this kind of law firm with the beliefs of its founders defining the essential qualities and personality of the Firm.

By design, our firm is comprised of attorneys with widely diverse backgrounds, talents, interests and experience. This diversity creates a flexibility that is a pronounced benefit to our clients when large or complex issues dictate more than the traditional approach to problem solving.  Our attorneys possess significant experience in their chosen areas of practice and many hold advanced degrees and board certifications as well as experience within the legislative and judicial branches of government.  Individually qualified, our attorneys are even more effective as a team when client needs require the collective skills of attorneys practicing in more than one area of the law.

From offices in Hartford and New Haven, we serve clients that include individuals, large publicly held corporations as well as medium and small sized businesses, public agencies and private not-for-profit organizations. Our areas of practice are diverse and, on the whole, the Firm handles all the legal needs of most of its clients.  We regularly handle some of the largest and most complex transactions and matters in the State of Connecticut.  We engage in all of the traditional areas of the law as well as a variety of specialized and emerging practice areas and industry concentrations.  Our highly successful trial and appellate practice is among the largest and most diverse in the state.  We were one of the first law firms in New England to develop a dedicated Environmental practice group and our recently established Fuel Cell and Alternative Energy practice group continues our tradition of being at the forefront of emerging areas of the law.

Our attorneys recognize the need to invest time and energy in the development of their legal skills and talents.  Our attorneys regularly participate in seminars and other presentations and contribute articles to numerous legal and other publications. Our attorneys are also active in community, business and trade organizations and associations such as the Association of Commercial Finance Attorneys, the American Health Lawyers Association, the Connecticut Venture Group, the United States Fuel Cell Council, the International Association of Shopping Centers, and the National Association of College and University Attorneys. 

We recognize that the needs of many of our clients require involvement in the legislative and regulatory processes.  As such, we maintain one of Connecticut’s largest and oldest Governmental Affairs practice groups that draws on the substantive expertise of all of the attorneys within the Firm.  We have forged long-standing, working relationships with local, state and national government leaders and are involved with numerous business and community organizations.  Our attorneys are known by key decision makers in business and political sectors.  More importantly, because our Governmental Affairs practice group is a part of our law firm, our clients obtain the benefit of the conflict of interest and other ethical protections not provided by many other legislative and public affairs practices.

In 1990, in anticipation of the economic globalization, we were a founding member of Meritas Law Firms Worldwide, one of the first networks of independent law firms.  Our membership extends the reach of our practice across the United States and around the world through nearly 200 member law firms in more than 60 countries.  Meritas maintains member firms in virtually every major city in the United States, in all of the traditional international business centers and in many of the emerging economies around the world.  Each member firm includes English speaking attorneys with long standing relationships in their local markets and are well-versed in local business, legal and social customs.

The practice of law is an exercise in communication, and we strive to maintain clear and interactive avenues of channels of communication with our clients and listen to your needs, views, goals and concerns in the course of our representation.  The Firm gives special attention to the representation of companies with in-house legal counsel and departments.  We are used to working with in-house counsel and structure and manage our engagements in accordance with the specific policies and procedures of our corporate clients.  We understand and appreciate the responsibilities of in-house counsel and our attorneys know their roles as outside counsel.  We believe as a mid-sized firm we can offer greater flexibility and responsiveness to our corporate clients, the potential for fewer conflicts of interest and a more client focused perspective and loyalty.

Our practice areas and industry concentrations are: Administrative; Agriculture and Agribusiness; Appellate; Asbestos; Brownfields Development; Business; Commercial Lending and Banking; Commercial Litigation; Construction; Creditors' Rights and Bankruptcy; Employment; Environmental; Franchise and Distributorship; Fuel Cell and Alternative Energy; Government Guaranteed Lending; Government Affairs; Governmental Investigations; Healthcare; Insurance Coverage; Intellectual Property; Municipal; Product Liability and Toxic Tort; Professional Liability; Property Valuation; Public Finance; Real Estate; Real Estate Finance; Taxation; Trusts and Estates; Utilities and Regulated Industries; Venture Capital and Emerging Companies.

We serve a wide range of clients including local, regional, multinational and non-profit corporations, various political and state subdivisions such as municipalities, regional governments and special purpose authorities, as well as individuals. Cultivating a dynamic synergy across practice areas is one of the key elements to assist our clients in the overall business environment. We recognize and understand the need to assist clients in anticipating and managing risk, while simultaneously finding pragmatic, cost-effective solutions to problems when they arise.

Our clients include: Advanced Radiology Consultants, LLC; Bank of America, N.A., CapitalSource Finance LLC; CNA Insurance Companies; Citizens Bank; City of Bridgeport; CIGNA; Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development; Connecticut Clean Energy Fund; Connecticut Innovations, Incorporated; CTC Communications Corp.; CVS Corporation; Encompass Insurance Company; The Farmers Cow, LLC; FCR, Inc.; GenCell Corporation; General Growth Properties, Inc.; Habco, Inc.; HEALTHSOUTH Corporation; Infinity Fuel Cells; Ironwood Mezzanine Fund, LP; Liberty Mutual Insurance Company; The Metropolitan District; New England Development Company; Northeast Utilities; PAETEC Communications, Inc.; Pepperidge Farm, Inc.; Pilot Corporation of America;  Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center; State of Connecticut Treasurer’s Office; Simon Property Group, Inc.; Stonington Behavioral Health, Inc.; TD Banknorth; Tweed-New Haven Airport Authority; UPS Capital Business Credit; Webster Bank, National Association; and Yale University.