Lawrence A. Frolik
Larry is a distinguished faculty scholar and professor of law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He was one of the original academic creators of elder law as a scholarly discipline, also known as the law of later life planning. He is the author of Advising the Elderly or Disabled Client (with Brown) (2d ed. Warren, Gorham & Lamont 1999) and a dozen other books. He writes and teaches about retirement benefits and the need for economic protection of retirees. Larry currently teaches elder law, employee benefits, and torts but has taught federal income taxation, property, and estates and trusts.
Larry became involved with RPTE’s Trusts and Estates Division around 1980, while teaching estate planning and writing on guardianship reform. The Section provided a forum for interaction with the profession—a counterbalance to the less grounded world of academia—and exposure to the “real world” issues of practicing lawyers. More recently, as his interests have centered on elder law, his connection with the Section has kept him in touch with the practical realities of law, just as it has welcomed his more theoretical approach. He believes that his teaching and writing have benefited from his association with the Section and its many fine lawyers.
Larry is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, an academic member of NAELA’s Certified Advanced Practitioners, an academic member of the Special Needs Alliance, and an academic fellow of ACTEC. He is an adjunct professor of law for the University of Miami School of Law LL.M. program in estate planning.
He received his B.A. with distinction from the University of Nebraska and his J.D. cum laude and LL.M. from Harvard Law School.
Larry and his wife, a practicing plaintiff’s class action litigator, think the best vacation is one without crowds and off the grid. Away from cell phone and Internet reception, they celebrated Larry’s 60th birthday by hiking in Yellowstone Park, observing wolves, elk, and bison.
Robert S. Freedman
Rob is a shareholder at the Tampa office of Carlton Fields, concentrating his practice on real estate matters. His primary areas of focus include the design and operation of real estate developments, obtaining regulatory approvals for the sale and marketing of projects, matters relating to real estate finance, and distressed asset and workout issues related to real estate. Rob also has extensive experience pertaining to matters involving condominiums and resort and timeshare communities.
Rob’s involvement with RPTE began when a colleague proposed his nomination to the Timesharing and Interval Use Committee in RPTE’s Hospitality, Timesharing and Common Interests Development Group while he was a mid-level associate. Within one year of his appointment, Rob planned and organized a timesharing CLE program at the ABA Annual Meeting in Atlanta.
Since his initial appointment, Rob has served as chair of the Timesharing Committee, chair of the Common Interest and Ownership Development Committee, and group vice-chair and chair of the Hospitality, Timesharing and Common Interests Development Group. Over the course of his involvement with RPTE, Rob has been involved in organizing and presenting over a dozen CLE programs. He is also currently active with the CLE Committee and the Committee on Groups and Substantive Committees.
Rob has found his time in the RPTE Section invaluable, expanding his network of contacts beyond Florida. In addition, Rob has made great friends throughout the country because of his involvement with RPTE.
Rob is a native of Tampa, Florida, and resides in Clearwater with his wife of 25 years, Sheri, and their four children. He received his bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a law degree from Stetson University College of Law. In his spare time, Rob enjoys traveling, reading suspense novels, and rooting for the Duke University men’s basketball program.
