Thompson Hine LLP

Jeffrey Appelbaum

For 40 years, Jeff has provided distinguished service to public/private owners, design professionals, construction managers and contractors. He served as lead counsel or project management consultant for hundreds of projects involving billions of dollars of construction, including 29 professional sports facilities; facilitated hundreds of partnering sessions; acted as lead trial counsel for multimillion-dollar claims; and mediated 300+ complex construction disputes. He facilitated the governor’s Ohio Construction Reform Panel and participated in creating final legislation that dramatically modified public procurement in Ohio. In 2012, he became the first lawyer inducted into the Cleveland Engineering Society’s Hall of Fame.

Jack Clark

Jack is a senior managing associate in Thompson Hine’s Construction practice group, focusing on transactional “front end” representation of public-sector owners, private developers, investors, contractors and design professionals. He advises clients on a variety of construction and real estate development matters, including agreements for construction management, design-build, EPC, design services, acquisitions, leasing and public-private partnerships. He also provides contract drafting and negotiation, project-delivery method evaluation, compliance analysis, and insurance and risk management counseling services. Jack has a particular interest in affordable housing and public-private partnership (P3) projects, including counseling clients on the intricacies of state and local law impacting project bidding, award and management and overall deal structure. Jack’s experience includes representing clients from various industries on projects including mixed-use and multifamily residential developments, chemical and industrial plants, distribution warehouses, office buildings and sports stadia. During law school, Jack served as an extern for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), providing support for federal regulatory initiatives and reviewing project documents for new construction and renovation projects utilizing Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured financing, such as affordable housing, senior living centers and health care facilities.

Erin Luke

Erin is a partner in the firm’s Construction practice group. She counsels owners, construction managers, design-builders, architects and engineers on large and complex projects in a broad range of industry sectors, including energy and infrastructure, sports stadia, hospital and medical facilities, event and entertainment facilities, hotel and resort developments, and casino and gaming developments. Her experience includes project delivery and structuring advice, contract negotiating and drafting, insurance and risk management counseling, and operational project management advice.