Connell Foley hires three new attorneys – Frank Cara and Mark Forand who joined the Firm on Monday, December 2nd and Vincent Cara who joined us Monday, December 9th. Frank and Vincent are resident in the New York Office; Mark is in the Roseland Office.
Vincent J. Torna joins Connell Foley as a Partner in the New York Office and Co-Chair of the New York Construction Practice Group. He specializes in construction and public contracting law, including representation of contractors, subcontractors and developers in litigation involving bridges, tunnels, subways, roadways, sewage treatment plants, schools, and residential and commercial high rises. He has successfully prosecuted multi-million dollar claims in the federal and state courts involving breach of contract, construction and design defects, delays and impacts, loss of productivity, acceleration, liens, bond and surety issues, defaults, terminations and bid protests. He has a special expertise in representing heavy contractors in litigation involving infrastructure and public works projects against governmental authorities, including the City of New York, the Metropolitan Transit Authority and its various affiliates, the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, the New York City School Construction Authority, and the Port Authority. Mr. Torna also has extensive experience advising clients on compliance with Disadvantaged/Minority/Women/Business Enterprise (D/M/WBE) requirements. His cases have resulted in numerous published decisions, many addressing issues of first impression, particularly in the areas of wrongful termination and contractor responsibility. Following several years handling construction matters for the City of New York, Torna became a partner in the construction law firm of McDonough Marcus Cohn & Tretter. Torna left in 2000 to form his own law practice. Mr. Torna received his J.D from Fordham University School of Law in 1978 and his A.B. in Philosophy and History from Georgetown University in 1973. He is admitted to practice in New York; the United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Frank T. Cara also joins Connell Foley as a Partner in the New York Office and Co-Chair of the New York Construction Practice Group. Frank has over twenty-one years of experience in the field of construction law as both outside and in-house counsel. He has participated in all aspects of construction claims and litigation with owners, developers, general contractors, subcontractors, sureties and insurers, involving design errors, delay damages, unanticipated subsurface conditions, change orders, disputed work, mechanics liens, bid protests, bond claims, and failure to perform. He has also designed and implemented comprehensive corporate and D/M/WBE compliance programs, including training, audits, policy and procedures, investigations, hotline, and quarterly reporting to the Board of Directors. Mr. Cara has extensive experience drafting and negotiating a variety of contracts, including subcontracts, joint venture agreements, design-build agreements, teaming agreements, commercial leases, and non-disclosure agreements. Mr. Cara received his B.A. in Economics from Cornell University and his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law. He is admitted to practice in New Jersey; New York; the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and Eastern District of New York; and before the United States Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Mark A. Forand joins the firm as an Associate in the Corporate & Business Law and Real Estate & Land Use practice groups. Prior to joining Connell Foley, Mr. Forand was an associate at Wolff Samson in the Corporate and Securities Group where he provided legal counsel to publicly and privately held companies regarding corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Forand was also a member of the Hiring Committee and Pro Bono Program. Mr. Forand received his J.D., cum laude, from American University, Washington College of Law and his undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Boston College. His is admitted to practice in New Jersey, New York and the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and Southern District of New York.
