Frank T. Araps

1. Frank T. Araps, a shareholder of the firm, represents businesses, contractors, public owners, corporations, industrial manufacturers, pharmaceuticals, educational institutions, condominiums, cooperatives, homeowner associations, diners, restaurants, their shareholders and principals in construction, engineering, project risk allocation and management, contract preparation, governance, transactions, buying and selling of assets, formation, reorganization, mergers, acquisitions and the negotiation, mediation, arbitration and litigation of their construction, transaction and governance disputes and claims. Frank has extensive experience in the analysis, negotiation, arbitration and litigation of complex engineering, construction and public bid disputes. He has represented public and private owners, architects and engineers, contractors, suppliers, and professional errors and omissions carriers before state and federal courts, Federal Boards of Contract Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

2. Projects that Frank's clients have engaged him to work out or resolve disputes include restaurants, diners, hotel casinos, high-rise condominiums, schools, utility projects, heavy and highway construction, bridge projects, airports, hospital and medical centers, urban downtown redevelopment, power, professional sport stadium, residential subdivision, multi-family and luxury dwelling units. When negotiated or alternate dispute procedures were not successful, Frank litigated and arbitrated hundreds of trial and hearing days defending and recovering millions of dollars for public and private owners, contractors, suppliers, architects, engineers, and principals of companies selling or buying out their ownership interests.

3. Frank served as consultant, assistant corporate counsel and sales coordinator for one of the leading construction management and consulting firms in the U.S., where he participated in the development of a comprehensive claims and risk management program for a public sewerage authority engaged in the construction of over 125 integrated projects, and the analysis, management and settlement of hotel/casino construction claims in Atlantic City. Frank has negotiated and drafted leases, financing, construction and procurement contracts and documents for bulk food distributors, restaurant, food service and diner industry. He has also advised and represented these businesses in many shareholder and partnership disputes. Frank organized and represented as general counsel a prototype buyers food service cooperative corporation comprised of more than 700 New Jersey diner and restaurant members.

4. Throughout his career Frank has dedicated many hours to researching, writing, lecturing and presenting continuing education seminars to construction professionals and owners on construction law and claims management across the country and throughout New Jersey. He has also devoted many years of pro-bono service to non-profit charitable organizations. Frank was the principal of his own law firm where he also practiced in the areas of professional liability & malpractice, real estate & land use, and estate planning, administration & litigation.

5. Publications and seminars Frank has authored and presented include: Quality Control Best Practices For Commercial And Industrial Capital Improvement Projects, Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, June 2013; Construction Claims and Law: Preparation, Proof & Defense, NJICLE, Morristown, NJ, December 11, 2012; Co-authored Chapter, Construction and Development, Commercial Real Estate Transactions in New Jersey, Third Edition, Editor-in-Chief: Jack Fersko, Publisher: New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education (NJICLE), March 2010; Construction Claims Course NJSBA Annual Meeting and Convention; Seminar for Construction Defect Litigation: From A to Z, National Business Institute, Princeton, NJ, September 19, 2013; Construction Claims and Law: Preparation, Proof & Defense, NJICLE, Morristown, NJ, December 11, 2012; Amendments to New Jersey's Construction Lien Law, Client Seminar, Bridgewater, New Jersey, June 23, 2011; New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act in Commercial & Residential Construction Disputes: Issues, Claims & Election of Remedies, New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, December 5, 2009; Construction Claims and Law: Preparation, Proof & Defense, New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, November 21, 2009; An Overview of Issues in Designing and Building Green, Client Seminar, October 20, 2009; Construction Claims and Law: Preparation, Proof & Defense, New Jersey State Bar Association Construction Law Section, New Jersey Law Center, New Brunswick, New Jersey, January 19, 2009; Managing Risks and Contract Preparation Under the New 2007 AIA Documents, Client Seminar, June 12 and 19, 2008; How to Manage Risk and Stay Out of Trouble on Capital Investment Projects, Annual Surety Class, Surety Association of New Jersey, August 13, 2007; CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS: Managing the Design, Financing, Risk Management and Project Delivery, Client Seminar, June 12 and 19, 2007.