Frank J. Kontely III is a Partner in the firm's General Liability and Construction Litigation Departments. His extensive litigation experience includes handling matters throughout the State of New Jersey from pleadings through trial for private clients and insurance carriers with a focus in construction, premises liability, personal injury as well as related contractual and insurance coverage issues. He has conducted seminars in these areas for clients, risk management professionals, and attorneys. Frank has also served as an arbitrator to resolve matters for other attorneys and litigants.
Frank advises clients on issues of risk transfer, contractual indemnification, additional insurance and excess insurance. He drafts commercial contracts for commercial entities which incorporate these principles for his clients. He prides himself on counseling his clients on cost-effective dispute resolution through early identification of his clients’ exposures and participation in arbitration and mediation. Understanding and responding to his clients’ needs for contemporaneous reporting is another of his strengths.
A seasoned trial attorney for over 30 years, Frank has obtained several successful jury verdicts on behalf of his clients in courts across the State of New Jersey. For example, Frank successfully defended a developer/general contractor in a case brought by an employee of a subcontractor who alleged personal injuries and economic damages due to a worksite hazard. The employee made a multi-million-dollar settlement demand and, at trial, submitted evidence of over $800,000 in medical bills and lost income. After a two-week trial, the jury found no liability on our client and, therefore, awarded the plaintiff no monetary damages. Having extensive trial experience, Frank also tries Environmental/Mass Tort cases for the firm in New Jersey and New York and has knowledge in matters involving asbestos and mold. To view more of Frank’s recent trials and representative cases, please refer to the “Cases” tab adjacent to his biography.
Frank has been involved in two reported decisions. In Proske v. St. Barnabas Medical Center, et al., 313 N.J. Super. 311 (App. Div. 1998), the Appellate Division accepted his argument that a storage facility in a chain of custody of diagnostic films could not be held liable for failing to preserve, or spoliating, evidence. In Zacharias v. Whatman, PLC, 345 N.J. Super. 218 (App. Div. 2001), the Appellate Division commented on complex civil procedure issues involving application of the statute of limitations between state and federal court in an employment discrimination matter. Frank has also been involved in numerous other matters in the Appellate Division for the Superior Court of New Jersey
Beyond his legal practice, Frank also participates in the firm’s training program for new associates. Actively involved in his community, he has served on the Mendham Township Board of Education and the Princeton University Alumni Schools Committee. He has also coached for Mendham Little League, Twin Boro Bears Football, and Mendham Patriots Basketball, and he serves as a Board Member for the Mendham Football Booster Club.
Affiliations
- New Jersey State Bar Association
- Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)
- Defense Research Institute (DRI)
Awards
- The Best Lawyers in America (2024 and 2025 editions)
A description of the selection process methodologies on which these accolades are based can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
Super Lawyers® is published by Thomson Reuters. Best Lawyers in America® is published by Best Lawyers in partnership with U.S. News & World Report. Martindale-Hubbell® is published by Internet Brands, Inc. A description of their selection process can be found in the respective links above. The aforementioned organizations are private peer review organizations, not court-specific, public certification vehicles. No aspect of this advertisement has been submitted to or approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.