Ryan K. Cummings

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.

• 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

• New York State Bar Association
• Bar Association of Erie County

• Past member, Board of Directors: Bucknell Bison Club