Richard T. Bell, Jr., is a founding partner of the firm.  He is an experienced civil litigator in both state and federal Courts in New York, with an emphasis on commercial litigation, construction law and real property taxation.  Mr. Bell has practiced construction law since his admission to the Bar, representing public owners, contractors, subcontractors, vendors and design professionals in all aspects of construction.  His practice also includes counseling clients on corporate matters including business formation, drafting and negotiation of shareholder/operating agreements, succession plans and business litigation involving non-compete/non-disclosure agreements, contract disputes, corporate dissolution and business valuation.

For more than two decades, Mr. Bell has represented towns, villages and school districts in tax certiorari matters. He also has extensive experience representing municipalities and public authorities on a variety of legal matters, including Article 78 actions, public procurement, regulatory compliance, open meeting requirements and matters involving the Freedom of Information Act. In addition, Mr. Bell is a seasoned appellate practitioner, having successfully argued numerous appeals before the State Appellate Divisions and having participated in matters before the State court of Appeals.

RESULTS/REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

• DiMarco Constructors, LLC v. Top Capital of New York Brockport, LLC, 193 AD3d 1375
• R-J Taylor Gen. Contr., Inc. v. Fairport Cent. Sch. Dist., 170 A.D.3d 1603
• Jones v. Seneca County, 154 A.D. 3d 1949
• Crane-Hogan Structural Sys., Inc. v. Belding, 142 A.D.3d 1385
• Adonis Constr., LLC v. Battle Constr., Inc., 103 A.D.3d 1209
• Matter of Stevens v. Allied Bldrs., Inc., 84 A.D.3d 1758
• Crane-Hogan Structural Sys., Inc. v. ESLS Dev., LLC, 77 A.D.3d 1302
• LVI Envtl. Servs., Inc. v. New York State Urban Dev. Corp., 25 Misc.3d 1227(A), Aff’d 67 AD3d 1456
• North Cent. Mech., Inc. v. Hunt Constr. Group, Inc., 43 A.D.3d 1396
• Int’l Union of Operating Eng’rs v. Crane-Hogan Structural Sys., Inc., 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 98970

ACTIVITIES AND AFFILIATIONS

• Member, Monroe County Bar Association
• Member, New York State Bar Association
• Member, Associated General Contractors of New York
• Member, New York State Assessors Association
• Member, New York Association of Towns

RECOGNITION AND AWARDS

• Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation
• Selected to “Super Lawyers” for Construction Law and Litigation

PRESENTATIONS AND SEMINARS

• The Builders Exchange: Getting Paid:  A Refresher, March 3, 2021
• CFMA: Do’s and Don’ts of MWBE Compliance, November 2018
• National Business Institute: Construction Law: What do You do When…?, September 2017

RECENT BLOG POSTS AND PUBLICATIONS

• Advocate’s View: Re-opening Construction – The New Normal (for now), The Daily Record, May 20, 2020
• Advocate’s View: Avoiding Civil Liability under the Lien Law, The Daily Record, May 24, 2021