In an interview at their West Hartford office, Gfeller and Laurie said expansion into Philadelphia is a natural fit for the firm, which already has an office in Princeton, New Jersey, and has seen an increase in work coming out of Pennsylvania.

"We've always had work in the southern part of New Jersey and some work in Philly, which is why we made our New Jersey location Princeton," Gfeller said. "Princeton has become more New Jersey- and New York-centric, and over the last year and a half we've had several institutional clients ask if we can handle work in Pennsylvania, so we started actively looking for people in that area. I'm admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, and it's a unique court system. I would be more comfortable litigating with someone from Pennyslvania by my side."

"It's not a jurisdiction where you can fake it," Laurie added.

The firm leaders met Tuffs through mutual contacts in the industry and found she was a perfect fit. A former assistant district attorney in Philadelphia, Tuffs transitioned into litigation as an associate at Hill Wallack and Goldberg Segalla, where she continued to develop a strong reputation.

"What attracted us to Chimdi is she's a really qualified litigator," Laurie said. "She's really the type of person we want to be leading the charge and growing that area of the firm. She's really smart and has a strong business mind, and she's just incredibly easy to work with."

"She's energetic and super personable," Gfeller added. "She's the kind of person we're proud to have handing out our business cards."

Gfeller Laurie's Connecticut office is located at West Hartford Center. Photo: Michael Marciano/ALM

Likewise, Gfeller Laurie's new West Hartford partner brings a wealth of experience. A former in-house lawyer at The Hartford and Travelers, Stefano brings experience in prelitigation claims and managing multistate insurance litigation involving complex claims, bad faith, corporate and underwriting litigation by and against insurer affiliates. She most recently worked as a litigation/coverage attorney for the RiverStone Group in Manchester, New Hampshire, and regularly volunteers for school and civic organizations in Wethersfield.

"We brought her in because of her experience in insurance coverage with a national perspective," Laurie noted.

In addition to Tuffs and Stefano, Gfeller Laurie has added associates Donald Cabral and Madison Calkins to the team in Princeton. A track-and-field star at Princeton who represented Team USA in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, Cabral earned his MBA at the University of Connecticut and his JD at the UConn School of Law. His practice combines his passions by covering sports and recreation litigation, including negotiating contracts and resolving disputes.

Calkins practices in construction and commercial litigation and clerked for Judge Thomas Walls Jr. in Mercer County Superior Court in New Jersey and was a member of Syracuse University School of Law's 2020 Hispanic National Bar Association Moot Court Team.

With this latest buildup in staff, Gfeller Laurie's near-future plans include "settling into our skin" by using the talents of the expanded team.

"We don't have plans to have any significant growth but we want to evaluate opportunities as they come along," Laurie said. With the increase in remote work, that includes reevaluating office space—the firm also has offices in Massachusetts and New York—and continuing to diversify the practice base and revenue streams.

"To the extent that good lawyers and better people cross our paths, we want to really capitalize on opportunities for smart growth," Laurie said. "We look forward to seeing what other opportunities present themselves."