Craig M. Frankel

Craig M. Frankel

Partner

Craig Frankel is an experienced litigator specializing in fiduciary disputes, trust and estate disputes, and business and contract disputes. Known throughout the legal profession as a principled, aggressive attorney who gets the job done, Mr. Frankel emphasizes open and frank exchanges with every client, adversary, and the court. As a founding partner of Gaslowitz Frankel LLC, he takes pride in his firm’s ability to create favorable results for their clients, whether through trial or settlements. Mr. Frankel’s approach to his practice is centered on the belief that any successful result must meet both the financial and emotional challenges of his clients. Therefore, in addition to his years of experience in the courtroom, Mr. Frankel is well versed in mediation and alternative dispute resolution techniques.

Mr. Frankel attended the Honors Program of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and the Order of the Grail Honor Society. He later attended the University of Georgia School of Law as a Bryant T. Castellow Scholar, where he served as Executive Editor of the Georgia Law Review and a research assistant to Deans Beaird and Brussack. After graduating from law school with honors, Mr. Frankel clerked with the Hon. John C. Godbold, then Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Mr. Frankel is a frequent speaker at continuing legal education programs, wealth management programs, and estate and tax programs, where he discusses fiduciary duties and the risks for fiduciaries. Additionally, his successful law practice is balanced with extensive pro bono work. Mr. Frankel currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He recently completed his term as Chair of the Breman Museum of Jewish Heritage. He also serves on the Advisory Board of Hillside Hospital, a psychiatric residential and out-patient treatment facility for adolescents and their families. Mr. Frankel previously served as Chair of Hillside’s Board of Directors. Mr. Frankel also is a violinist with the Atlanta Community Symphony Orchestra.

He also serves on the advisory board for Hillside Hospital, a residential and outpatient facility for severely abused or emotionally disturbed adolescents and their families. Mr. Frankel previously served as Chair of Hillside’s Board of Directors. Additionally, Mr. Frankel is a violinist with the Atlanta Community Symphony Orchestra.

  • Recognized by “The Best Lawyers in America © 2021”
  • Recognized by “Best Lawyers in America 2020 Edition” by the US News and World Report
  • Received a Band 3 ranking from The Chambers high net worth guide
  • Elected as a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) in 2013.  Currently serves on the Fiduciary Litigation Committee and Business Planning Committee.
  • Selected by peers for inclusion to Georgia Super Lawyers from 2007-2022.
  • Selected by peers for inclusion in 2013 through 2020 Editions of Best Lawyers In America.
  • Voted by in-house counsel and peers to appear in the Guide to the World’s Leading Trust & Estate Practitioners, 2011 and 2012
  • AV Preeminent Rating by Martindale Hubbell since 1996.
Georgia, 1986
  • Supreme Court of Georgia
  • Georgia Court of Appeals
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Georgia
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit

University of Georgia School of Law, Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, 1986

  • Honors: Bryant T. Castello Scholarship Recipient
  • Honors: American Jurisprudence Book Awards, Contracts, Legal Profession, Property
  • Honors: Research Assistant for Deans Beaird and Brussack
  • Law Review: Georgia Law Review, Executive Editor, 1985 – 1986
  • Law Review: Georgia Law Review, Editorial Board, 1984 – 1985

 

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A. in Speech Communication, 1983

  • Honors: Phi Beta Kappa
  • Honors: Assistant Attorney General, Honor System
  • Honors: Honors Program Participant
  • Honors: Order of the Grail Honor Society
  • Honors: Teaching Assistant, Fundamentals of Oral Communication
  • Honors: Dean’s List
  • State Bar of Georgia
  • American Bar Association
  • Atlanta Bar Association
  • Association of Trial Lawyers of America
  • Guardian for Minors in Custody Disputes
  • Capital Campaign Steering Committee, 2000 – Present
  • Personnel Practices Committee, 1996 – Present
  • Chair, Board of Education, 1997 – 1999
    • Board of Trustees, 1992 – 1999
    • Vice President, 1996 – 1997
  • Leadership Council, 1996 – 1997
  • “Trustees in the Hot Seat: Practical Advice for Trustee Testimony,” Fiduciary Law Institute, Miramar Beach, FL. July 2023
  • “Marketing the Trust and Estate Practice,” The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) 2023 Summer Meeting, Washington DC, June 2023
  • “Minimizing the Risk That You Will be a Defendant in Trust or Estate Litigation,” Estate Planning Council of North Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia, March 2018
  • “Intentionally Defective Trusts Under IRC § 671 – Avoiding Defects in Your Defective Powers,” Estate Planning Institute’s 63rd Annual Conference, Athens, Georgia, February 2018
  • “Ethical End of Life Planning,” National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), Macon, Georgia, October 2017
  • Hillside Hospital
    • Board of Trustees
  • Hands on Atlanta
    • Founding Volunteer
    • Hands On Atlanta Day, Executive Committee
  • Fulton County Guardian Ad Litem Program
  • Temple Sinai
    • Vice President
    • Board of Directors
    • Board of Education Chair
  • Atlanta Community Symphony Orchestra
  • American Jewish Committee
  • Atlanta Jewish Committee
  • Black-Jewish Coalition, 1991 – Present
  • Morningside/Lenox Park Neighborhood Association
  • Atlanta Community Symphony Orchestra
    • Violinist, 1987 – Present
  • Montgomery Symphony Orchestra
    • Violinist, 1986 – 1987
  • Orchestra Atlanta
    • Chair, Musical Director Search Committee
    • Board of Trustees, 1991 – 1996

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“I have entrusted Craig with my family’s future.”
“I have entrusted Craig with my family’s future. I would do it again. That is the highest compliment I can give someone and very few are worthy of that recommendation from me.”

- Joy L.