Peter K. Rydel

Peter maintains a sophisticated and multi-disciplined practice in the areas of business law and commercial, construction and employment litigation and counseling. He blends rigorous, yet highly professional advocacy with a dedication to pragmatic, cost-effective and client-focused solutions for his clients.

Peter’s business practice involves representing parties in a wide variety of business transactions, including, but not limited to, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, equity investments, asset purchase agreements, corporate governance matters and related matters.  Peter has served as lead counsel for both owners and investors in multi-million-dollar, high-profile transactions involving multiple constituents. In addition, Peter has represented equipment and automobile manufacturers in the negotiation of distribution and dealership agreements, security agreements, and related agreements. His more than two-and-one-half decades of litigation experience provides him with a unique perspective on business transactions and an ability to foresee how problems in the transaction phase manifest themselves in the courtroom.

Peter’s construction practice involves representing owners and indemnitors in warranty and bond claim disputes arising out of engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreements. This encompasses disputes concerning large commercial solar arrays. He also represents parties in mechanics’ lien discharge proceedings and related construction matters.

In his commercial litigation practice, Peter represents businesses, financial institutions, insurance companies and venture capital groups in all manner of disputes, including, but not limited to, breach of contract claims, franchise disputes, actions involving breach of noncompetition and non-solicitation agreements, securities fraud, foreclosure, pre- and post-judgment proceedings, injunctions and related disputes. He has tried cases to verdict involving claims of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and business torts. Peter has successfully defended parties against claims of alter ego liability, and prosecuted recognition proceedings under Chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

Peter’s employment practice centers around representing large, mid-size and individual clients in a broad array of employment issues. These matters encompass discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, wage and hour claims, non-compete litigation, disputes concerning restrictive covenants and employment investigations. Peter also advises human resource personnel in developing human resource policies and best practices.

Peter also represents institutional and individual trustees, beneficiaries, fiduciaries, personal representatives and creditors in a wide array of probate controversies, including the administration of decedent’s estates, contested conservatorships, trust construction, fiduciary liability claims, accounting proceedings and contested powers-of-attorney. His trial experience includes representing individuals in estate proceedings and representing clients in multi-jurisdictional, complex estate disputes. 

Peter resides in Glastonbury, CT with his wife, children and Trajan, a handsome German Shephard named after one of the Five Good Emperors of Rome. Peter enjoys skiing, kayaking and hitting white balls around golf courses. He is an avid reader of history, to the extent his family believes he may have missed his true calling. He enjoys getting his hands dirty with whatever yard or household work beckons on the weekend and makes every effort to keep pace with his children’s intense youth sports schedules.