Mr. Conley is a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation and Conflict Management & Litigation practice teams wherein he routinely litigates claims on behalf of a broad spectrum of individuals and business entities. He counsels clients in an array of commercial litigation matters, including in cases emanating from contractual breaches or nonperformance, residential and commercial construction projects, commercial lease disputes, and closely-held business entity unwinding and shareholder and partnership disputes. An important aspect of Brendan’s litigation practice is also devoted to advising clients on strategies for the avoidance and preemption of unnecessary litigation, conflict management, and dispute mediation and resolution both in the pre-suit stage as well as after a proceeding is commenced.
A core aspect of Mr. Conley’s practice is dedicated to his role within the firm’s Natural Resource Law practice team, wherein Brendan regularly advises landowners and businesses in the context of both litigation and business transactions implicating the legal complexities of the energy, utility, and forestry industries. As part of this practice, Brendan represents clients on matters related to timber trespass litigation, oil and natural gas, rural landowner liability and risk mitigation, natural resource rights disputes, and in the negotiation of contracts and lease agreements, such as those related to timber transactions, maple syrup production, agribusiness, and renewable energy.
Brendan also represents clients in a variety of business and financial transactions. As part of this work, he has represented professional clients in practice mergers and acquisitions and regularly counsels bank clients in an array of commercial lending and real estate backed financing transactions.
In his practice with Colligan Law, Mr. Conley draws upon experience garnered during his prior tenure working for one of the 250 largest law firms in the United States, which included litigating business, commercial, and consumer finance cases in state and federal court, and advising Fortune 500 clients operating in the Energy, Utilities, and Construction industries on risk mitigation and transfer strategies, insurance coverage analyses, and bid package and procurement contract review and negotiation.
While attending the University at Buffalo School of Law, Mr. Conley served as a Note and Comment Editor on the Buffalo Law Review, competed as a member of the ELSA World Trade Organization Moot Court Team, and graduated with a Concentration in Cross Border Legal Studies. He is also a graduate of the School of Law’s 2017 New York City Program on Finance and Law. Prior to law school, Brendan graduated from the University at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, and a minor in sociology. During his undergraduate studies, Brendan was a member of the University at Buffalo Honors College, served as an Economics Debate Team Leader and Teaching Assistant, and participated in the 2015 Winter Semester Study Abroad Program in London, U.K.
A native Western New Yorker, Mr. Conley attended Royalton-Hartland High School, graduating as the Class of 2011 Salutatorian. Brendan now resides in Lockport, New York, where he remains active in the community through his various charitable endeavors and affiliations.
Education
- University at Buffalo, B.A. in Economics, Magna Cum Laude, 2015
- University at Buffalo School of Law, J.D., Cum Laude, 2018
Admitted to Practice
- New York State
- United States District Court, Western District of New York
Publications
- How the Rise of the Daily Fantasy Sports Industry Can Catalyze the Liberalization of Sports Betting Policies in the United States, Buffalo Law Review (May 2018)
Awards & Honors
- Associate Publication Award for Excellence in Writing, Buffalo Law Review 2017
- Kenneth B. and Ellen C. Forrest Scholarship, University at Buffalo School of Law, 2015
- Faculty Research Scholar Award, University at Buffalo School of Law, 2015
- President’s Circle Award for Study Abroad, University at Buffalo, 2015
- Provost Scholarship, University at Buffalo, 2011
- Salutatorian, Royalton-Hartland Class of 2011
- Delegate, New York State Boys’ State, 2010
Memberships & Community Involvement
- Advisory Board, for the Lockport, NY chapter of The Salvation Army (2020-Present)
- Advisory Board Vice Chair (2022-2024)
- Advisory Board Chair (2024 to Present)
- Treasurer, Royalton-Hartland Class of 2011 (2007 to Present)
- Phi Beta Kappa, (2015 – Present)