An experienced New Haven-based litigator who is Hartford's chief outside counsel received one of her biggest legal victories to date when a Superior Court jury Monday came back with a verdict for the city in its long-running battle with Centerplan Companies, the developer fired from building the Dunkin' Donuts Park baseball stadium.

King represented the city in the high-profile case about the stadium that serves as the home baseball field of the Double-A Eastern League Hartford Yard Goats, the affiliate team of the Colorado Rockies.

On the opposing side was Centerplan, who the city fired midway through the construction of the stadium due to several missed deadlines. The company had sued Hartford for upward of $90 million. Its lawsuit hinged on whether the city made last-minute changes to the stadium that prevented the developer from finishing the work on time.

But King, a partner at Murtha Cullina, helped clinch a defense verdict Tuesday, when a six-person jury found against the developer and for the city, awarding Hartford $335,000.

Centerplan's attorney, Ray Garcia of New Haven's Garcia & Milas, did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday. But he told reporters after the verdict he would be challenging the jury's decision before the Connecticut Appellate Court.

King has been involved from the beginning of the litigation in April 2016. According to her online biography, she represents residential and commercial owners in construction disputes and litigation, and provides contract drafting and negotiation services. King also represents design professionals, including architects, engineers, landscape architects, and interior designers. She has appeared in mediations, arbitrations and litigation matters in state, federal and tribal court.

For her part, King had little comment, except for a brief statement via a press release about Tuesday's victory.

“The city of Hartford prevailed in a long and arduous three-year long litigation,” she said.

But Hartford Corporation Counsel Howard Rifkin told the Connecticut Law Tribune that King's expertise was crucial to the city's defense.

“Leslie is a very skilled trial lawyer, particularly in construction litigation,” Rifkin said Wednesday. “She is a very good tactician in terms of getting to the heart of the matter, and she's got this tenacity that pays off. She is relentless in working on behalf of her client.”

King graduated from the University of Arizona School of Law in 1998. She is licensed to practice in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and the Mohegan Gaming Disputes Court. But her online biography suggests her legal footprint could soon expand, as her application to practice in Arizona is pending.

King, who joined Murtha Cullina in January 2016, regularly speaks at the American Institute of Architects Connecticut chapter on legal issues affecting the design professionals.

In Hartford's dispute with Centerplan, she was the lead counsel with assistance from attorneys  Loring Cook III, Jamie Radke, Matthew Ciarleglio, Lorey Leddy and Terence Burnau.