This guide compares 10 best business law attorneys in Connecticut, selected for corporate and transactional depth, recognition by independent directories such as Chambers USA, Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers, and a practice that covers forming, financing, buying, selling and defending businesses rather than listing business law as a passing mention. The firms range from a Southport boutique to multi-office institutions based in Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Waterbury, Milford, New London and Wallingford, and each entry lists the office address, phone number, key attorney, practice areas and firm size so readers can match a firm to the matter in front of them.
Before choosing, ask three practical questions: does the attorney handle both the transaction and the dispute that can follow it, does the firm regularly work with businesses of your size and industry and who will actually do the work, a partner or an associate? The list is not ranked and not sponsored. Firm details come from firm websites, Chambers USA, Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell and Google Business listings, and a specific recognition is cited only where it appears in those sources.
1. Berchem Moses PC
- Attorney/Key Figure: Robert L. (Bob) Berchem, President and Senior Partner
- Headquarters: 75 Broad St, Milford, CT 06460 (additional office at 1221 Post Road East, Westport, CT 06880)
- Phone: (203) 783-1200
- Website: berchemmoses.com
- Practice Areas: Business law (corporate, mergers and acquisitions, commercial litigation, corporate finance and secured transactions, business succession planning), commercial real estate, labor and employment, land use and zoning, education law, municipal law, litigation, trusts and estates, family law
- Firm Size: Mid-size, more than 35 attorneys, established in 1933
Berchem Moses has served Connecticut businesses since 1933, representing clients that range from individual entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies. Bob Berchem, the firm’s president, chairs its Business Services Department and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America since 2018, with a practice that includes corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, commercial litigation and construction and real estate litigation.
What sets the firm apart for business owners is the range under one roof. Corporate and transactional work sits alongside a labor and employment group that runs custom seminars and employment audits for employers, a land use and zoning practice, and a litigation team with appellate results, including a Connecticut Appellate Court decision that protected KBE Building Corporation when another party tried to hold the company liable for his legal fees. With offices in Milford and Westport, the firm pairs the personal attention of a small firm with the resources of a larger one.
2. Loughlin Fitzgerald, P.C.
- Attorney/Key Figure: E. James Loughlin, Member
- Headquarters: 150 S Main St, Wallingford, CT 06492
- Phone: (203) 265-2035
- Website: lflaw.com
- Practice Areas: Business law, real estate (commercial and residential closings), land use and zoning, estate planning and probate, family law, personal injury
- Firm Size: Small firm, 11 lawyers, founded in 1978
Loughlin FitzGerald has practiced in Wallingford since 1978. E. James Loughlin has handled business law, commercial and residential real estate closings, land use, landlord-tenant matters and litigation since 1993, giving owners a single point of contact for the legal questions that surround a growing company. Attorney Charles Reed’s listed business work covers business contracts, formation and dissolution, franchising, mergers and acquisitions, and partnership and shareholder disputes.
The firm’s value for business clients is the combination of transactional and real estate counsel with litigation experience in one small office. A company buying a building, restructuring ownership or resolving a partner disagreement can keep the corporate, real estate and dispute work with attorneys who already know the file, in a firm small enough that clients deal directly with the lawyers handling their matter.
3. Suisman Shapiro
- Attorney/Key Figure: Eric W. Callahan, Managing Partner
- Headquarters: 75 State St, New London, CT 06320
- Phone: (860) 442-4416
- Website: suismanshapiro.com
- Practice Areas: Corporate and commercial law, business and real estate transactions, municipal and land use law, employment and labor, family law, personal injury, workers’ compensation, criminal defense
- Firm Size: Large regional firm, describes itself as the largest law firm in eastern Connecticut
Eric Callahan, the managing partner of Suisman Shapiro, focuses on business and commercial law and transactions alongside real estate and municipal, planning and zoning work. He has been selected to Super Lawyers in business and corporate law every year from 2020 to 2025, after being named a Rising Star from 2013 to 2019. The firm’s corporate and commercial group assists partnerships, corporations and LLCs with formation, business contracts, finance, mergers and acquisitions.
Suisman Shapiro traces its roots to Charles Suisman, Max Shapiro and Louis Wool, who built their practices in the 1930s and combined them in the 1950s, and it now serves businesses along the coast from New Haven to Providence. Five of its lawyers were recognized in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, and the firm’s size lets eastern Connecticut companies find corporate, employment, real estate and litigation counsel without leaving the region.
Beyond business matters, the firm also represents individuals in motor vehicle accident cases, making it relevant to those exploring car accident lawyers in New London
4. Pullman & Comley
- Attorney/Key Figure: Andrew C. (Andy) Glassman, Member and Chair of the Business and Finance practice
- Headquarters: 850 Main St, Bridgeport, CT 06601 (additional Connecticut offices in Hartford at 90 State House Square and in Westport; also Springfield, MA, Wakefield, RI and White Plains, NY)
- Phone: (203) 330-2000
- Website: pullcom.com
- Practice Areas: Business and finance, corporate and M&A, commercial finance, emerging companies, labor and employment, health care, real estate, litigation, trusts and estates
- Firm Size: Large, founded in 1919, with offices in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island
- Practice Area Page: Business and Finance
- Social Profiles: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram
Andy Glassman chairs Pullman & Comley’s Business and Finance practice, covering corporate law, commercial transactions and employment and labor advisory work. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers since 2011, was named Hartford Lawyer of the Year for mergers and acquisitions law in 2022 and 2023 and for corporate governance law in 2016 and 2018, and served on the state’s Commission on Connecticut’s Leadership in Corporation and Business Law. Nancy Hancock, recognized by Best Lawyers since 2016, combines business law and corporate finance work across technology, tax, venture capital, securities and e-commerce.
Chambers USA 2026 recognized the firm in seven Connecticut practice areas, including Corporate/M&A, and the firm was named a 2025 Inc. Power Partner for its work supporting entrepreneurs and startups. As a large multi-office firm it is built for complex or multi-department matters, so owners with a single routine filing may find a smaller firm more direct.
5. Shipman & Goodwin
- Attorney/Key Figure: J. Dormer Stephen, Chair of the Business and Finance Practice Group
- Headquarters: One Constitution Plaza, Hartford, CT 06103 (additional offices elsewhere in Connecticut and in New York)
- Phone: (860) 251-5000
- Website: shipmangoodwin.com
- Practice Areas: Business and corporate, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, securities, commercial finance, banking and financial services, business and commercial litigation, health law, labor and employment, real estate, tax
- Firm Size: Large, more than 140 lawyers, founded in 1919 by Arthur Shipman, Charles Goodwin and George Day
Shipman & Goodwin’s Business and Finance Practice Group is led by Dormer Stephen, who is ranked in Band 2 for Corporate/M&A in Connecticut by Chambers USA and is recognized for venture capital investments, financings and M&A. Marc Esterman maintains a business law practice focused on M&A, commercial contracting, corporate governance and joint ventures, and Julia Camarco represents clients from startups to national corporations as well as private equity and venture capital funds.
The firm advises larger institutional clients and middle-market buyers and sellers, including repeat strategic buyers growing through acquisitions, and Best Lawyers recognized 64 of its lawyers in 2025. The trade-off of that depth is scale: matters are typically staffed in teams across departments, which suits complex transactions but can mean less one-to-one contact with a single senior partner.
6. Wiggin and Dana
- Attorney/Key Figure: William A. Perrone, Corporate and M&A practice head
- Headquarters: One Century Tower, 265 Church St, New Haven, CT 06510 (additional Connecticut offices and offices in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Florida)
- Phone: (203) 498-4400
- Website: wiggin.com
- Practice Areas: Corporate, mergers and acquisitions, emerging companies and private equity, technology and outsourcing, privacy and information security, litigation
- Firm Size: Large, established in 1934
Wiggin and Dana’s M&A practice handles mergers, stock and asset purchases and dispositions, joint ventures with purchase options and equity investments for clients operating in the United States, Europe and Asia. William Perrone is ranked in Band 1 for Corporate/M&A in Connecticut by Chambers USA, a ranking he has held for 15 years, and Evan Kipperman is known for deals in the manufacturing, educational technology and consumer products sectors. Paul Hughes advises on debt and equity financings, M&A and corporate governance, with notable healthcare experience.
The firm was named a Top Tier firm for Corporate M&A in Connecticut by IFLR1000, with six of its M&A attorneys individually recognized. It is a large, regional-to-national firm oriented toward middle-market and larger transactions, so smaller owner-managed businesses with modest legal budgets may find a boutique a better match.
7. Cohen and Wolf, P.C.
- Attorney/Key Figure: David M. Levine, Attorney (business and corporate, mergers and acquisitions, health care)
- Headquarters: 1115 Broad St, Bridgeport, CT 06604 (additional offices in Danbury, Hartford, Trumbull and Westport)
- Phone: (203) 368-0211
- Website: cohenandwolf.com
- Practice Areas: Business and corporate law, securities, intellectual property, tax, litigation, physician practice representation, employment, real estate, trusts and estates
- Firm Size: Mid-size, more than 50 attorneys, established in 1951
Cohen and Wolf began in 1951 when Herbert L. Cohen and Austin K. Wolf opened a single office in Bridgeport, and it has grown to more than 50 attorneys across five Connecticut offices. David Levine, licensed in Connecticut since 1986, was selected to Super Lawyers in business and corporate law each year from 2014 to 2025 and concentrates on business and corporate matters, mergers and acquisitions and health care. Samuel Carroll was recognized by Best Lawyers in corporate law in 2025 and named a Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2024 and 2025.
The firm’s Business and Corporate Group represents entrepreneurial, closely held and middle-market businesses from inception through day-to-day transactions, financing, business combinations and acquisitions, and it backs that work with dedicated securities, intellectual property, tax and physician practice groups. The breadth of those groups means a growing company can add specialist support without changing firms.
8. Brody Wilkinson PC
- Attorney/Key Figure: Mark W. Klein, Attorney (business organizations and closely held companies)
- Headquarters: 2507 Post Rd, Southport, CT 06890 (additional office in New York)
- Phone: (203) 319-7100
- Website: brodywilk.com
- Practice Areas: Corporate and business law, commercial finance and commercial transactions, dispute resolution, real estate, trusts and estates, tax, employee benefits, energy law
- Firm Size: Boutique, 24 attorneys, with roots going back more than 100 years
Brody Wilkinson’s business practice is anchored by attorneys such as Mark Klein, recognized by Best Lawyers since 2024 for business organizations and closely held companies, and Justin Galletti, recognized for commercial transactions and UCC law and corporate law. The firm as a whole holds 15 Best Lawyers in America awards across business organizations, closely held companies and family businesses, commercial finance, commercial transactions, corporate law and energy law.
The firm combined with Hermenze & Marcantonio in January 2021, expanding its Southport office, and its business group sits beside trusts and estates and real estate practices, which lets owners of family and closely held companies plan transactions and succession in one place. With 24 attorneys the bench is smaller than at the statewide firms, which suits owner-managed Fairfield County companies better than multi-state deals.
9. Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP
- Attorney/Key Figure: Joseph Dornfried, Partner, Business Services Group
- Headquarters: 50 Leavenworth St, Waterbury, CT 06702 (additional offices in New Haven, Stamford and Southbury)
- Phone: (203) 573-1200
- Website: carmodylaw.com
- Practice Areas: Business and real estate services, commercial and tax-exempt financing, energy and utility, health care, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, municipal law, trusts and estates
- Firm Size: Mid-size to large, with 39 lawyers in its Waterbury office and a statewide footprint
Carmody has roots in Waterbury that go back more than a century, and it took its current form when Stamford’s Sandak Hennessey & Greco joined Carmody & Torrance at the start of 2014, creating a four-office firm with a statewide reach. Joseph Dornfried is a partner in the Business Services Group and brings a comprehensive view to commercial and corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions.
The firm serves a wide range of businesses, utilities, governmental entities and individuals, and its practice list includes commercial and tax-exempt financing, energy and utility work and the alcoholic beverage industry alongside corporate and real estate services. As a multi-department firm, business matters are one of many practice groups, so owners should ask which attorneys will lead their matter.
10. Lynch, Traub, Keefe & Errante
- Attorney/Key Figure: Steven J. Errante, Attorney
- Headquarters: 195 Church St 3rd Floor, New Haven, CT 06510 (additional offices in Hartford and Manhattan)
- Phone: (203) 333-3333
- Website: ltke.com
- Practice Areas: Business law and commercial litigation, personal injury, medical malpractice, criminal defense, family law, real estate and estate planning, workers’ compensation
- Firm Size: Boutique trial firm, with business law attorneys who have more than 70 years of combined experience
- Practice Area Page: Business Law and Commercial Litigation
- Social Profiles: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube
Steven Errante and Marisa Bellair make up the firm’s business law and commercial litigation group in New Haven. The group helps clients choose the right business entity, structure sales contracts and purchase agreements, arrange financing, draft noncompete and nondisclosure agreements and, when needed, dissolve a partnership, with the aim of avoiding litigation through properly drafted documents and structured transactions.
When disputes do arise, the group advises on directors’ and officers’ liability, reorganizations, intracorporate disputes, restrictive covenants, partnership issues, commercial leases and land acquisitions, contract disputes and shareholders’ rights, for clients ranging from local businesses to multinational corporations. Business law is one practice among several at a firm best known for injury and trial work, so owners looking for a deal-focused corporate team may find the larger firms on this list a closer fit.
FAQ’s About Business Law Attorneys in Connecticut
How much does it cost to form an LLC or corporation in Connecticut?
An LLC is formed by filing a Certificate of Organization with the Connecticut Secretary of the State through business.ct.gov for a $120 fee, and every LLC then files an $80 annual report between January 1 and March 31. A corporation files a Certificate of Incorporation, which starts at about $250 and rises with the authorized share structure, and its annual report is $150.
State fees are only part of the cost of a sound launch: firms such as Pullman & Comley, which was named a 2025 Inc. Power Partner for its work with entrepreneurs, and Cohen and Wolf, whose Business and Corporate Group serves companies from inception, handle the operating agreements, shareholder terms and financing documents that determine how the entity actually runs.
When does a Connecticut business need an attorney rather than a formation service?
A filing service can register an entity, but an attorney is needed once the business has to allocate control and risk: operating agreements and shareholder agreements, buy-sell terms, owner exits, financing, sales or acquisitions of the company, and disputes between owners. Family and closely held companies in particular benefit from planning ownership transitions early, which is why Brody Wilkinson pairs its business group with trusts and estates work and Berchem Moses includes business succession planning among its business law services.
Are non-compete agreements enforceable in Connecticut?
Connecticut has no general statute governing employee non-competes, so courts decide enforceability case by case under a five-factor reasonableness test that looks at the length of the restriction, its geographic reach, the fairness of the protection to the employer, the restraint on the employee’s ability to pursue an occupation, and the effect on the public interest.
Statutes impose specific limits for certain professions, including physicians under Conn. Gen. Stat. 20-14p, and general non-compete bills in recent legislative sessions did not become law. Because the analysis is so fact-specific, employers and employees alike turn to counsel such as the labor and employment group at Berchem Moses or the restrictive covenant practice at Lynch, Traub, Keefe & Errante when drafting or challenging a covenant.
How long do I have to sue for breach of contract in Connecticut?
For a written contract, Connecticut generally allows six years from the breach under Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-576, and the same six-year period applies to an oral contract that has already been fully performed. A purely oral agreement that is still executory has a three-year limit under Conn. Gen. Stat. 52-581, and a breach of a contract for the sale of goods under the Uniform Commercial Code carries a four-year limit under Conn. Gen. Stat. 42a-2-725. Because the clock generally starts on the date of breach, owners facing a payment or performance dispute should involve commercial litigation counsel such as the team at Suisman Shapiro or Wiggin and Dana early.
What is the Complex Litigation Docket and when does a business dispute end up there?
Connecticut’s Superior Court runs a Complex Litigation Docket in the Hartford, Stamford and Waterbury judicial districts for cases with multiple litigants or legally complex issues, and it has become the main home for large commercial disputes in the state. A party applies to refer a case to the docket using a Judicial Branch application, and the request names Hartford, Stamford or Waterbury as the preferred location. Firms with business litigation benches, such as Shipman & Goodwin in Hartford and Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey in Waterbury, regularly handle disputes of that size.
How do I choose between a large firm and a boutique for a business matter?
Large firms such as Shipman & Goodwin and Wiggin and Dana bring deep benches, specialist groups for financing, M&A and regulatory questions, and experience with institutional counterparties, which matters for acquisitions, venture financings and multi-state operations. Smaller firms such as Loughlin Fitzgerald in Wallingford and Brody Wilkinson in Southport offer direct access to the attorneys doing the work and often pair business advice with real estate and estate planning for owner-managed companies. A useful test is to match the size of the matter to the size of the firm: ask who will handle the file day to day, how often the firm represents companies like yours, and whether the same team can support you after the deal closes.
Disclaimer: For informational purposes only. This content is not legal advice or an endorsement. Business law matters in Connecticut are subject to specific state statutes, regulations, and court rules. Laws, deadlines, and attorney qualifications may change; always independently verify relevant information and consult a licensed Connecticut attorney before making business or legal decisions.