
Ryan K. Cummings
Practices & Industries
Admissions
- New York
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Western District of New York
- Pro hac vice admissions: Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas, District of Columbia
Education
Bucknell University, B.A.
University of Iowa College of Law, J.D.
Ryan is an experienced trial attorney and partner in the firm’s Litigation Practice. He has been lead trial counsel in jury and bench trials in both federal and state courts throughout the country. He has also arbitrated numerous matters before the American Arbitration Association and JAMS.
Ryan represents clients in complex, high-stakes litigation regarding, among other things, shareholder/member interest valuation, construction disputes, products liability claims, manufacturing disputes, allegations of false advertising, enforcement of limitation of liability and force majeure clauses, First Amendment, and insurance disputes.
In addition to his courtroom experience, Ryan devotes significant time to counseling clients on risk mitigation strategies when they enter a new market, release a new product, or enter into contracts for a new project. He works with construction clients before, during, and after their project to identify risks associated with the project, to ensure parties are meeting their contractual and legal obligations, and to enforce post-completion warranties. He has almost two decades of experience representing developers, general contractors, construction managers, and EPC contractors in the negotiation and enforcement of their project contracts.
Manufacturing clients come to Ryan for pre-sale review of their packaging, advertising, care and use manuals, and warranty language. They also seek out Ryan to review the limitation of liability and force majeure clauses in their potential contracts, and to ensure they, and their customers, are meeting their contractual insurance requirements.
Additionally, Ryan is the leader of the firm’s Litigation Practice Area, as well as the Media and First Amendment practice group. He regularly writes and speaks about Media and First Amendment issues. Constitutional issues around freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of assembly routinely come up in the context of governmental and educational actions.
Ryan was the firm’s Hiring Partner for six years and remains a member of the Recruiting Committee.
Honors
- Listed, Best Lawyers in America (Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Insurance, and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants) 2023 - 2024
- Listed, Upstate New York Super Lawyers (Business Litigation), 2013 - 2019, 2022 - 2023
- Former editor, Iowa Journal of Gender, Race & Justice
Experience
- Breach of Contract & Trade Secret Misappropriation Litigation on behalf of Greek Yogurt producer
- Errors and Omissions Claim Against an Insurance Broker
- Lead Counsel in Nationwide Aviation Wrongful Death Action Involving 50 Deaths
- Significant Court of Appeals Victory Limits Scope of New York State’s Labor Law § 240(1)
- Solar Development Representation
In the News
- Reuters, February 16, 2022
- Reuters, March 26, 2021
- Buffalo Business First, September 25, 2020
- Univision, March 23, 2019
- Bloomberg Law, February 25, 2019
- February 2010
Press Releases
- August 23, 2023
- Hodgson Russ Press Release, August 23, 2022
- Hodgson Russ Press Release, August 19, 2022
- Press Release, August 12, 2019
- Press Release, August 20, 2018
- Press Release, September 6, 2017
- Press Release, August 31, 2016
- Press Release, August 19, 2015
- Press Release, August 14, 2014
- August 2013
Publications
- Hodgson Russ Non-Compete, Non-Solicit, and Trade Secrets Alert, January 6, 2023
- Hodgson Russ Business Litigation Alert, May 25, 2022
- Hodgson Russ Product Liability & Complex Tort Alert, May 10, 2022
- Hodgson Russ Product Liability Litigation & Legislation Quarterly Update, May 2022
- Hodgson Russ Municipal and Education Alert, April 19, 2022
- Hodgson Russ Product Liability Litigation & Legislation Quarterly Update, January/February 2022
- Hodgson Russ Media & First Amendment Alert, July 22, 2021
- Hodgson Russ Education and Media & First Amendment Alert, June 23, 2021
- Hodgson Russ Media and First Amendment Alert, June 21, 2021
- Hodgson Russ Media and First Amendment Alert, May 14, 2021
- Hodgson Russ Media and First Amendment Alert, April 20, 2021
- Hodgson Russ Media and First Amendment Alert, March 29, 2021
- Hodgson Russ COVID-19 Litigation and Employment Action Team Alert, March 25, 2021
- Hodgson Russ Torts, Insurance and Products Liability Alert, March 25, 2021
- Hodgson Russ Media and First Amendment Alert, March 22, 2021
- Hodgson Russ COVID-19 Litigation and Employment Action Team Alert, March 11, 2021
- Hodgson Russ COVID-19 Litigation and Employment Action Team Alert, March 10, 2021
- Hodgson Russ Media and First Amendment Alert, March 3, 2021
- Hodgson Russ Media and First Amendment Alert, February 24, 2021
- Hodgson Russ COVID-19 Litigation and Employment Action Team Alert, February 8, 2021
- COVID-19 Litigation and Employment Action Team Alert, January 29, 2021
- Hodgson Russ COVID-19 Litigation & Employment Action Team Alert, January 21, 2021
- Hodgson Russ Media & First Amendment Alert, January 12, 2021
- Hodgson Russ Media & First Amendment Alert, January 7, 2021
- Hodgson Russ COVID-19 Litigation & Employment Action Team Alert, November 4, 2020
- Hodgson Russ COVID-19 Litigation & Employment Action Team Alert, October 15, 2020
- Hodgson Russ COVID-19 Litigation & Employment Action Team Alert, October 12, 2020
- Hodgson Russ COVID-19 Litigation & Employment Action Team Alert, September 10, 2020
- Hodgson Russ COVID-19 Litigation and Employment Action Team Alert, August 6, 2020
- Hodgson Russ COVID-19 Litigation and Employment Action Team Alert, July 28, 2020
- Hodgson Russ COVID-19 Litigation & Employment Action Team Alert, July 14, 2020
- Hodgson Russ Media & First Amendment Alert, July 9, 2020
- Hodgson Russ Business Litigation Alert, June 23, 2020
- Hodgson Russ Business Litigation and Bankruptcy & Restructuring Alert, June 22, 2020
- Hodgson Russ COVID-19 Litigation & Employment Action Team Alert, June 15, 2020
- Hodgson Russ Media & First Amendment Alert, June 9, 2020
- Hodgson Russ Business Litigation Alert, May 22, 2020
- Hodgson Russ OSHA and Business Litigation Alert, May 13, 2020
- Hodgson Russ Business Litigation and Securities Regulation & Corporate Compliance Alert, April 22, 2020
- Hodgson Russ Business Litigation Alert, April 22, 2020
- Hodgson Russ Media & First Amendment Alert, April 22, 2020
- Hodgson Russ Media & First Amendment Alert, April 20, 2020
- Hodgson Russ Torts, Insurance & Products Liability Alert, April 17, 2020
- Hodgson Russ Business Litigation Alert, April 15, 2020
- Hodgson Russ Business Litigation Alert, April 9, 2020
- Hodgson Russ Media & First Amendment Alert, March 25, 2020
- Hodgson Russ Corporate Alert, March 23, 2020
- Hodgson Russ Corporate Alert, March 19, 2020
- Hodgson Russ Non-Compete, Non-Solicit & Trade Secrets Alert, March 12, 2020
- Hodgson Russ Media Law & First Amendment Alert, June 5, 2019
- Hodgson Russ Media Law & First Amendment Alert, May 30, 2019
- New York State School Boards Association, May 29, 2019
- Hodgson Russ Media Law & First Amendment Alert, May 3, 2019
- Hodgson Russ Media Law & First Amendment Alert, March 26, 2019
- Media Law & First Amendment Alert, February 28, 2019
- Media Law & First Amendment Alert, February 7, 2019
- Media Law & First Amendment Alert, November 19, 2018
- Media Law & First Amendment Alert, November 5, 2018
- Media Law & First Amendment Alert, August 27, 2018
- Media Law & First Amendment Alert, April 13, 2018
- Media Law & First Amendment Alert, March 5, 2018
- Torts, Insurance & Products Liability, and Business Litigation Alert, September 15, 2017
Presentations & Events
- Millennium Hotel, 2040 Walden Avenue, Buffalo NY 14225, January 17, 2020
- November 19, 2019
- The Offices of Hodgson Russ, 140 Pearl Street, Buffalo, NY 14202, October 23, 2019
- May 14, 2019
- Offices of Hodgson Russ, June 28, 2018
- 605 Third Avenue, Suite 2300, New York, NY 10158, May 23, 2018
- New York State Bar Association Seminar: Intro to Civil Practice Skills - Torts, Personal Injury, and Insurance LawBuffalo, NY, October 30, 2015
- The Offices of Hodgson Russ LLP, 1540 Broadway, 24th Floor, New York, NY, September 17, 2015
Professional Associations
- New York State Bar Association
- Bar Association of Erie County
Community & Pro Bono
- Past member, Board of Directors: Bucknell Bison Club