About Frank Steinberg

Let me take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Frank Steinberg. (No one gets to call me Franklyn except my mother and my wife—when they’re mad at me.) I am the founder and owner of Steinberg Law, LLC in Somerville.

A Jersey boy born and bred, I’ve practiced in many areas of the law over the years, but always in New Jersey. I currently focus on employment litigation and counseling , business litigation , and aviation law .

I confess to fleeing New Jersey for four years to attend college at Denison University in Ohio. (Hey, I was 18!) Following law school at Seton Hall University and a clerkship in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey in Newark, I spent my early career with large New Jersey litigation firms. But I was raised in an entrepreneurial family, and I had learned firsthand that big businesses had more than enough attorneys who practiced in big bureaucratic, and often autocratic, law firms.

That life wasn’t for me. I decided to use my experience to help small and medium businesses, and just regular people, by forming my own law firm. I’ve been at it ever since, enjoying the fruits of working for myself, with and for people I like and in whom I believe.

I have litigated hundreds of cases, ranging from simple contract disputes to complex antitrust matters, before the State and Federal courts. My trial experience spans a wide range of subject matter, from medical malpractice to air crashes, antitrust, franchising, consumer fraud, trademark infringement, and unfair competition, and pretty much everything in between. So-called “alternative dispute resolution” —mediation and arbitration—is a big part of the litigation process and a big part of my practice.

One of the things I have learned representing the smaller business community is that there’s really nothing small about small business. It’s a cliche, but it’s true. I am proud to be a member of that community. Taken together, our many parts create the largest business force in New Jersey, and indeed in the United States. I am as impressed by small business people as by those who work for larger companies. Another thing that never ceases to amaze me is just how many ways there are to build a business and make a good living for yourself and your family. The insight, creativity, dedication, and just plain hard work of entrepreneurs can be awe-inspiring. I have been privileged to give back to my local business community by serving two terms as Chairman of the Somerset County Business Partnership.

As a result of my business orientation, a large portion of my practice is devoted to employment law. It’s one of the best ways to be a direct force for good in peoples’ lives. Unlike employment lawyers who specialize in one side or the other, my firm represents both employers, executives, and individuals in employment disputes. Many of these matters are resolved through the successful negotiation of severance agreements. Sometimes, we have to go to court. Either way, I have seen these disputes from both sides and understand how both sides work.

As for what I do on weekends, I have always been an airplane fanatic—a legacy from my father. I earned my private pilot’s license at 19, and later added a commercial pilot’s certificate, instrument rating, and multi-engine rating. I love the opportunity to combine business with pleasure by providing legal help to pilots and the aviation industry through our aviation law practice. I have served as President of the Lawyer Pilots Bar Association the leading international bar association dedicated to aviation law and flight safety. And I serve aviation in New Jersey in particular as Chairman of the New Jersey Aviation Association and President of the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Coalition, both advocacy groups that work to protect airports and pilots in the most densely populated state in the country.

My Catholic faith is important to me. I have been a lector for my church for nearly 30 years—some of the most important work I have ever done.

I’m privileged and proud to be the husband of a wonderful woman (yes, we met in law school), and the father of two grown and unspeakably impressive children. (Did I mention that I’m proud of my family?)

When I’m not practicing law, you may find me paddling a kayak on Round Valley Reservoir, flying my Piper Comanche, or golfing (the last usually with less than stellar results but the fight continues). A lifelong fan of the Beach Boys and summer-time resident of the Jersey Shore (the real one, not the abominable TV show), I’m still trying to get the hang of surfing.