In honor of Franklin & Prokopik celebrating 25 years of business, early partners reflect on their time with the firm.

What has surprised you in the 25 years of F&P?

• Tamara B. Goorevitz: How much we have grown in size and how our practice areas have grown. Also, how much Bert’s hairline has receded.
• John J. Handscomb: How quickly the time has gone and the tremendous talent we have been able to recruit and develop.
• Maija B. Jackson: How resilient the firm has been and how supportive we are of each other.
• Albert B. Randall: I’m not sure that it’s necessarily a surprise, but what has impressed me the most is our Firm’s resiliency. We’ve overcome a number of significant challenges over the last quarter-century, and every time, the F&P team has not only withstood them, we have done so brilliantly.
• David A. Skomba: If anything has surprised me (and it was not much of a surprise), it has been the sustained growth over the years. We had not planned to grow this way at the very start.

What goals has the firm achieved that you are proud of?/ Are there any goals that you hope the firm achieves in the future?

• TBG: We have grown and flourished in the face of tragedy, stayed true to the firm’s founding principles, and developed strong and capable leaders, a significant number of whom are female.
• MBJ: Continued staying power, organic growth, flexibility, and work-life balance are all attributes of the firm that I am proud of and hope to see continue in the future.
• ABR: As our clients have grown, we have grown as well. We’ve always sought to meet our clients’ needs to the fullest extent possible, and we’ve done so by adding practice areas, office locations, and other services to better suit our clients.
• DAS: I am very proud of the fact that our attorneys are recognized as smart, well-prepared, proactive, careful, and considerate in their practices. They balance the need to vigorously represent our clients’ interests with the obligations of being professional and civil to all. I am also very proud of the collegial and collaborative environment that the Firm has cultivated and grown.

What are your most memorable moments from your time at F&P?

• TBG: Doing wheelbarrow races with John Handscomb, Sue Lawless, and Rebecca Gage in the hallway; Mary G’s birthday ice cream cake for breakfast; all the jury trials and victories with Dave Skomba; sitting next to Steve Marshall in federal court and trying not to laugh when Dave pronounced a witness’s name with an accent; all the Founders’ Days over the years.
• JJH: For my 50th birthday, Bert Randall hired a guy in a potted plant costume to jump-scare everyone who came into my office. That was a day…
• MBJ: Founders’ Day at Kara Miller’s Easton home. Bob Franklin’s prank of changing Mike Prokopik’s name tag on his office door to “Michael Porkpie”. (Our first spellcheck used to autocorrect Mike’s name to porkpie).
• ABR: 1) Our first days, filled with construction, “party” telephone lines, carrying boxes of files in the summer heat and wondering, “How is this all happening?”; and 2) following the tragic loss of Bob Franklin, seeing the impact that he had through the outpouring of support of our collective family, friends, clients, and the legal community through their kind words, notes, and actions. It helped galvanize us going forward.
• DAS: The “Founders’ Day” events through the 25 years are always good times with colleagues and their significant others. There also were several verdicts that were particularly satisfying both for us and the clients, in particular, the win in the ATS v. Kousa matter, a defeat of a $6 million claim against the client, and the recovery of an award of some $6 million in the client’s favor after an extended federal court trial.

What advice would you have given yourself 25 years ago?

• TBG: If you meet the future version of yourself coming back to give you advice, you don’t need it. Everything that has happened in your life has made you who you are, and you turned out just fine!
• MBJ: I would do it all again. Best decision I ever made was to join F&P at the outset in 1999.
• ABR: Buckle up!
• DAS: While we have to pay attention to the details, don’t sweat them; after all, we were/are all very capable and dedicated professionals.

Any other thoughts to share?

• Ralph L. Arnsdorf: It’s been an honor and a privilege to work with Judy, Cathy, and Amanda for the past 20 years. I couldn’t do my job without them.
• TBG: It’s hard to believe that Andrew and I have worked together leading the transportation practice group for so many years. I am grateful to have such a wonderful partner and friend. I am still amazed at his inability to properly pronounce words that start with a “TH,” but we love him despite his funny accent.
• MBJ: I can always remember the age of the firm because my second son was born just days before we opened the doors.

 

A slideshow commemorating our Silver Anniversary can be viewed here. Photos from our 2024 Founder’ Day hosted at Urban Axes can be viewed here.

What is your position and how did you choose it?
I am a workers’ compensation paralegal, a profession that actually chose me. I was hired in my first paralegal job back in 1996 by an attorney whose philosophy was that everyone should work in a law firm at least once in their life. He took a chance on me, and I found the profession I love. Thank you, Mr. Everett!

What do you like to do outside the office?
I am a crafter. I crochet. I think all babies born at F&P since I started have a baby blanket made by me, which are the most fun to create. I scrapbook. There is something about being able to include handwritten notes, thoughts, and trinkets to photos that is just more special than seeing the photos alone. My family and I also enjoy taking road trips – no specific destinations, we just pick a direction and go see what we can see.

What was the best news you ever received?
As a Veteran’s wife, getting the news that my husband was coming home unharmed from deployment.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
Alligator – once in New Orleans. Glad I did not know what it was before I ate it because it was actually very good.

If you could have lunch with anyone in the world who would it be?
Both of my Grandmothers, who have passed. I miss their insights into life, their witty senses of humor, hearing stories of their lives, and not to mention being able to pick their brains on cooking and flower gardens.