Biography

Anne Schmidt Frankel is a Member in the Philadelphia office of Burns White, concentrating her practice on defending individual providers, healthcare institutions, care facilities, and non-profits against professional and general liability claims. She also represents these clients in premises liability, corporate liability, and employment matters. She has successfully defended catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and survival actions on behalf of these clients in depositions, contentious discovery hearings, and at mediation and trial. She has experience handling complex discovery matters for organizations with a national presence in both state and federal courts.

Ms. Frankel has focused her practice on providing legal guidance and advocacy for a diverse array of human services organizations, healthcare facilities, and care centers. Her representations of these clients include a wide range of representative matters beyond professional liability litigation, including slip and fall claims, grand jury subpoenas, criminal investigations, employment disputes, and disruptive physician actions. She also serves as outside counsel to these organizations in the development of policies, in particular quality management and peer review policies. She is a member of the firm’s Rapid Response and Incident Management Team, a group of skilled attorneys who serve as the front line of defense and support in protecting clients facing police or regulatory investigations, including allegations of sexual misconduct, physical abuse, and neglect, child abuse and inappropriate touching. Ms. Frankel actively works with clients throughout the investigative process and continues representation in litigation if warranted.

Prior to joining Burns White, Ms. Frankel worked as an Associate at a civil litigation and medical malpractice defense firm in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, where she successfully protected privileged client information from discovery through her knowledge and application of the Peer Review Protection Act, as well as assisted with pre-trial preparations and expert retention. In addition, Ms. Frankel clerked for the Hon. Richard F. Wells, J.S.C., of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Camden County in the juvenile and criminal court. She brings her experience in criminal court to cases involving pro se litigants and underlying claims of criminal conduct.

A graduate of Widener University, Ms. Frankel received a Juris Doctor in 2008 and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, cum laude, from Northeastern University in 2005. While attending Northeastern University, Ms. Frankel was a Division I scholarship athlete for the Women’s Varsity Rowing Team.

She was previously involved with Breastcancer.org’s Young Friends Committee and Montgomery County Child Advocacy Project as a Board Member and Child Advocate. She has a personal passion for advocacy for children with sensory differences and special needs in an educational setting but has chosen to keep those specific efforts and contributions private.

Ms. Frankel is actively involved in the Women’s Initiative at Burns White and previously oversaw efforts of the Philadelphia office. She is the mother of three young children, and lives in the Greater Philadelphia with her husband and golden retriever.