Thompson Hine LLP is pleased to announce that James E. Frankel has joined the firm as a partner in the Construction practice group in New York. He joins the firm from Venable and previously led Arent Fox LLP’s construction practice.

Frankel has a multidisciplinary practice focused on providing solutions to owners, architects, engineers, construction companies and joint ventures on projects and transactions related to the built environment throughout the United States and abroad. He counsels on project structuring, transactional documentation and dispute resolution, and represents buyers as well as sellers in the private equity community.

“Jamie’s wide range of experience on impactful and high-profile projects is significant and we’re excited to have him join our growing New York construction practice,” said Todd Mason, partner-in-charge of the firm’s New York office. “His full-service practice will be an excellent resource for our clients.”

Frankel has been involved in many noteworthy development, financing, construction, renovation and dispute resolution matters, including:

• Major transportation infrastructure projects such as the Miami International Airport; New York City’s Grand Central Station; the AirTrain system connecting passenger terminals at John F. Kennedy International Airport with the New York City Subway; the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority’s automatic fare collection system; Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv and rail facilities in the Middle East.
  
  
• Social and cultural infrastructure projects such as hospitals, educational facilities, museums and sports complexes. Examples include the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Radio City Music Hall, Miami’s FTX Arena, Yankee Stadium and a military hospital in Istanbul, Turkey.
  
  
• Building failure and collapse matters, including the John Hancock Building in Boston, the New York State Thruway Authority’s Schoharie Bridge and the representation of the City of New arising out of the tragic collapse of 7 World Trade Center.

Frankel also created the Curtain Wall Risk Management Program to address the needs of owner / developers, architects, engineers, and curtain wall manufacturers to address the risks associated with innovative, high-performance façade systems.

“I was attracted to the firm’s culture of creating value for its clients and impressed with its innovative approach to legal service delivery, and its clear focus on predictability, efficiency and transparency,” said Frankel of his decision to join Thompson Hine. “I’ve been watching Thompson Hine’s Construction practice for many years and the lawyers on the team are among the most recognized by the national construction bar and practice at the highest level in the country. I’m looking forward to being a part of the team.”

Frankel also expressed his excitement to work with Thompson Hine’s Project Management Consultants (PMC), a wholly owned subsidiary comprising licensed architects, engineers, construction managers, financial strategists and experienced construction lawyers. PMC provides unique services including design and construction partnering facilitation and mediation, owner’s representation, project and risk management consulting, as well as public and private finance consulting.

Frankel has received widespread industry recognition, including being named by the Financial Times - “Innovative Lawyers” for his innovative use of “tools to resolve financing deadlocks in construction projects.” He has also been recognized by The Legal 500 and Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.

Frankel earned his J.D. from Albany School of Law and his B.B.A. from Ohio University. He started his career as an assistant attorney general in the Claims and Litigation Bureaus of the State of New York, where he litigated on behalf of and defended state agencies engaged in the development of highways, buildings and other infrastructure projects. He currently serves on the Construction Engineering Management Advisory Board at the Russ College of Engineering and Technology of Ohio University.

Frankel’s addition follows that of Sarah Sparer, who joined the firm’s Construction practice in New York last year. Sparer represents a broad array of East Coast-based construction industry clients in transactional matters. She previously served as in-house counsel for one of the largest international architecture and engineering firms, where she negotiated construction project agreements, managed complex construction litigation claims and advised on corporate compliance, risk management and insurance matters, both nationally and globally.