Christopher H. Little

Partner

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(401) 272-8080/Ext. 228

Areas of Practice

Business Dispute Resolution
Construction Law
General Business Law  

Experience

Chris has over 30 years of experience throughout New England in all aspects of dispute resolution, including serving as outside litigation counsel for Brown University in employment and other disputes where he has tried approximately 20 cases to verdict; serving as lead counsel for major businesses in partnership, shareholder, fiduciary duty and indemnity litigation; serving as counsel for major institutional owners in structuring contract relationships and dispute avoidance and resolution and serving as counsel on behalf of the region's largest contractors and trade contractors in resolving major business disputes.  Arising out of his success in representing parties through challenging disputes, Chris has also come to serve as a trusted counsel for business owners working through major issues of employment relations and business acquisitions and structuring. 

His litigation successes have included securing a $4.8 million dollar settlement on behalf of a Rhode Island manufacturer arising out of its bank's involvement in an embezzlement perpetuated by the manufacturer's former president; representation of a construction manager in a claim against a developer arising out of a termination for convenience in a substantial condominium project resulting in an arbitration award in excess of $5 million; serving as trial counsel for a substantial specialty chemical company in Superfund litigation resulting in a $2.35 million dollar jury verdict in the Rhode Island federal court on an indemnity claim; and successfully defending a multi-million dollar indemnity claim against a publicly traded company engaged in the lending industry. 

Prior to founding Little Medeiros Kinder Bulman & Whitney, PC in April 1993, he had been an associate and then a partner for 17 years at a large Rhode Island based firm having offices in Providence, Boston and Fort Lauderdale.  At that firm he chaired the commercial litigation department and was the founder and chair of its construction law group.  In addition to his active practice in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, he has been responsible for litigating substantial matters in Arizona, Colorado, Alabama, New York, Vermont, New Jersey and Connecticut.  For 20 years he has served on the panel of the American Arbitration Association as a neutral arbitrator for large and complex commercial and construction disputes. 

Education

A.B., with distinction, Duke University, (1971)
J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, (1975) (Editor, American Criminal Law Review)
Graduate, National Institute for Trial Advocacy, (1978)

Bar Memberships

Rhode Island (1976)
Massachusetts (1985)
District of Columbia (1975)
Federal (U.S. District Court for the Districts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island; First Circuit Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit; Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals; United States Supreme Court)

Professional Memberships & Honors

Martindale Hubbell Attorney rating – AV

Best Lawyers in America
     Selected for Construction Law 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

Chambers USA
    Recommended in General Commercial Litigation 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

Superlawyers
    Honored in 2007, 2008, 2009

American Arbitration Association
     Construction Industry Panel of Arbitrators for Large and Complex Cases

American Bar Association
     Member, Forum on the Construction Industry, Public Contract Law Section (Rhode Island
     State Chair), Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section: Committee on Design and
     Construction

American Bar Foundation

Reported Cases

In re Stanwich Financial Services Corp., 377 B.R. 432, (Bankr.D.Conn. 2007) (adversary proceeding settlement)

Williams v. Allen, 2007 WL 2206846, (M.D.Ala. 2007) (death penalty)

North Atlantic Distribution, Inc. v. Teamsters Local Union No. 430, 497 F.Supp.2d 315, (D.R.I. 2007) (NLRA single employer)

Williams v. Allen, 2007 WL 2022013), (M.D.Ala. 2007) (death penalty)

Williams v. Allen, 458 F.3d 1233, (11th Cir.(Ala.) 2006) (death penalty)

Pardee v. Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc., 344 F.Supp.2d 823, (D.R.I. 2004) (corporate indemnity)

ADP Marshall, Inc. v. Brown University, 784 A.2d 309 (RI 2001) (construction contracts)

United States v. Davis, 261 F.3d 1, 53 ERC 1097, 32 Envtl. L Rep. 20,048, 57 Fed. R. Evid. Serv. 748 (1st Circ. RI 2001) 31 F.Supp.2d 45 (D.R.I. 1998); 20 F.Supp.2d 326 (D.R.I. 1998) 11 F.Supp.2d 183 (D.R.I. 1998); 1 F.Supp.2d 125 (D.R.I. 1998); 1 F.Supp.2d 125 (D.R.I. 1998) (environmental)

SNET Cellular, Inc. v. Angell, 99 F.Supp.2d 190 (D.R.I. 2000) (cellular tower siting)

Williams v. State, CR-98-1585 (Ala. Crim. App. 2000) (post conviction death penalty)

Mangla v. Brown Univ. 135 F.3d 80 (1st Cir. 1998) (University-student relations)

Klein v. Solomon, 713 A.2d 764 (R.I. 1998) (psychiatric malpractice)

Marshall Contrs. v. Brown Univ., 692 A.2d 665 (R.I. 1997) (construction contracts)

Boyle v. Brown Univ., 70 F.3d 110 (1st Cir. 1995); 881 F.Supp. 747 (D.R.I. 1995) (Americans with Disabilities Act)

Grotzke v. Kurz, 887 F.Supp. 53 (D.R.I. 1995) (diversity jurisdiction-amount in controversy)

Richmond Realty v. Town of Richmond, 644 A.2d 831 (R.I. 1994) (public body injunctions)

Frank N. Gustafson & Sons v. Walek, 643 A.2d 179 (R.I. 1994) (mechanics' lien)

Birchwood Realty v. Grant, 627 A.2d 827 (R.I. 1993) (landfill siting)

Brewster v. B.T. Equip. Co., 625 A.2d 216 (R.I. 1993) (construction site accident)

In re Robert E. Derecktor, Inc., 152 B.R. 14 (Bankr. R.I. 1993) (bankruptcy)

Moseman Constr. Co. v. State Dep't of Transp., 608 A.2d 34 (R.I. 1992) (construction)

Norfolk v. United States Army Corps of Engineers, 968 F.2d 1438 (1st Cir. 1992) (environmental)

Elgabri v. Lekas, 964 F.2d 1255 (1st Cir. 1992) (hospital/physician relations)

Norfolk v. United States, 960 F.2d 143 (1st Cir. 1992) (environmental)

Robert E. Derecktor, Inc. v. United States, 762 F.Supp. 1019 (D.R.I. 1991) (public contract bid protest)

In re Gate Professional Partners Ltd. Partnership, BK No. 90-11422 (Bankr. R.I. 1991) (bankruptcy)

Donatelli v. National Hockey League, 893 F.2d 459 (1st Cir. 1990); 708 F.Supp. 31 (D.R.I. 1989) (personal jurisdiction)

Lamphere v. Brown Univ., 875 F.2d 916 (1st Cir. 1989); 798 F.2d 532 (1st Cir. 1986) (employment discrimination)

Thompson Trading, Ltd. v. Allied Lyons PLC, 124 F.R.D. 534 (D.R.I. 1989); (contracts)

Dessler v. Teamsters, Chauffeurs, etc., Local Union No. 251, 686 F.Supp. 977 (D.R.I. 1988) (union: first amendment)

O'Neil v. Picillo, 682 F.Supp. 706 (D.R.I. 1988); 648 F.Supp. 1283 (D.R.I. 1986); 613 F.Supp. 1563 (D.R.I. 1985) (environmental)

Pascalides v. Irwin Yacht Sales North, Inc., 118 F.R.D. 298 (D.R.I. 1988) (admiralty)

Marley v. UPS, 665 F.Supp. 119 (D.R.I. 1987) (employment discrimination)

Old Colony Bank v. Clark, 517 A.2d 249 (R.I. 1986) (state taxation)

Winkes v. Brown Univ., 747 F.2d 792 (1st Cir. 1984) (equal pay act)

Black v. Brown Univ., 555 F.Supp. 880 (D.R.I. 1983) (employment discrimination)

Western Elec. Co. v. Norberg, 461 A.2d 679 (R.I. 1983) (state taxation)

Chile v. Beck, 452 A.2d 626 (R.I. 1982) (estates and trusts); In re O'Hara, 13 B.R. 283 (Bankr. R.I. 1981) (bankruptcy)

Estate of Lloyd v. United States, 650 F.2d 1196 (Ct. Cl. 1981) (estate taxation)

Seitz v. L & R Indus., 437 A.2d 1345 (R.I. 1981); 428 A.2d 788 (R.I. 1981); 401 A.2d 1319 (R.I. 1979) (workers' compensation/mental stress)

Tree Farm Development Corp. v. United States, 585 F.2d 493 (Ct. Cl. 1978) (government contracts bidding)

Nagy v. McBurney, 392 A.2d 365 (R.I. 1978) (malicious prosecution/abuse of process)

Authored Articles/Publications

Author or co-author of approximately 40 manuals addressing topics including AIA contracts, fundamentals of construction contracting, public contracts, design/build and payment issues throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts.  In addition, I have authored the following:

Co-Author, “Legislating Construction Contract Terms and Conditions”, (Presented at the 2009 Fall Meeting of the American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry and printed in meeting course material)

Co-Editor, A State-by-State Guide to Construction and Design Law, American Bar Association, (2d ed. 2009)(Co-Editor and Co-Author of Rhode Island Chapter) [Also editor of 1st edition in 1998 and Author of Rhode Island Chapter]

Author, “The Rhode Island Mechanic's Lien Law:  A Plea (and Proposal) for Clarity and Fairness, 3 Roger Williams L.Rev. 207 (1998)

Author, “The New Trend to Design/Build - Who Looks Out for the Owner?” printed in “Update 95: Construction and Design and New Developments in ADR” (presented to American Bar Association Annual Meeting 1995)

Seminars

Presenter in approximately 50 seminars and professional programs for such organizations as American Bar Association, American Arbitration Association, Construction Industry of Massachusetts; University of Rhode Island; Construction Specifications Institute; and American Institute of Architects (R.I. Chapter).

Prior Legal Employment

1976-March 1993   Tillinghast Collins & Graham, Providence, Rhode Island

Community Leadership

Chris' significant community involvement has included service as chairman of the board of trustees of South County Hospital, membership on the board of trustees of the VNS Home Health Services and as one of two public members on the board of directors of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island.  He has been an active leader in community land trusts and local and regional planning organizations as well as serving as board chair of Save the Bay, Inc., New England's largest environmental advocacy organization.  For 18 years he has been a trustee of the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council, a business funded policy research organization and has served as the chairman of the board of Common Cause/Rhode Island.  For 10 years he served on the University of Rhode Island's Advisory Council for the College of Environment and Life Science and Graduate School of Oceanography.  From 1992 through 2007 he served in a substantial pro bono capacity representing an Alabama death row inmate in state and federal post conviction proceedings.