Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani welcomes Virginia K. Trunkes as a construction partner in the firm’s New York City office. Her addition further strengthens the firm’s position among the top five Construction practice groups in the country and propels the firm’s strategy to deepen and expand the firm’s capabilities in the northeast. Trunkes joins the firm from Robinson & Cole LLP.
Ms. Trunkes represents developers, health care providers, apartment building, brownstone and condominium unit owners, cooperative boards of directors, and other commercial property owners, as well as construction managers, contractors and subcontractors, in negotiating their construction and design services contracts and adjacent-owner license access agreements. With more than two decades of experience handling complex litigation and appellate practice, she counsels her clients to appreciate, navigate and overcome the obstacles inherent in construction projects and their impact on the parties’ legal positions.
When tensions arise, Ms. Trunkes consults with her clients about their immediate contractual rights and a third-party neutral’s perspective later on, and, if necessary, she will fiercely advocate on their behalf in state and federal court or arbitration. Common disputed issues include construction and design defects, bond claims, mechanic’s liens, delay and lost productivity claims, and claims arising from force majeure events. In addition to her construction-specific litigation expertise, she is also well-versed with contractual breaches, fiduciary obligations, licenses, the right to access, boundaries (trespass and encroachment), Zoning Lot Development Agreements, and interpretation of and compliance with administrative regulations.
Ms. Trunkes’ experience in collaborating with forensic design professionals for troubled projects has given her an in-depth understanding of the Department of Buildings’ expectations in highly regulated environments. Her years of serving as Chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Construction Law Committee, when she delved into policies and insurance constraints affecting the New York construction industry in particular, have enabled her to best advocate for her clients based on her broader view of their key roles in what is intrinsically a complex process.
“We are thrilled that Virginia has joined Gordon & Rees,” said Virginia Squitieri, Co-Managing Partner of the New York office. “She is an extremely talented construction counsel and will be an asset as we continue to grow the office and service the needs of our clients in the NYC-metropolitan area and across the country.”
She is admitted to practice in New Jersey, New York, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, and U.S. District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York. She earned her law degree from Brooklyn Law School and her undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
