Thomas G. Frohlinger

Thomas Gordon Frohlinger has been in private practice since 1981. He joined the firm on Jan. 1, 2000 and became one of its named principals on July 1, 2000.

Before law he acquired an Honours B.Sc. in geology from McGill University (1969); and an M.Sc. in structural geology from the University of Manitoba (1973). He returned to university in in law (1978) and made the deans honor list at the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba in all three years of study.

Tom’s focus in practice includes the areas of entrepreneurial and commercial law, northern development (natural resources, construction and north-south commerce), administrative law and construction litigation.

Besides law Frohlinger has professional credentials embracing geology, engineering, and mining. Add to that his entrepreneurship (from running a northern fly-in lodge to building a computer training franchise for children), his faculty of law, commerce faculty and advanced management lectureship responsibilities, his flying, his real estate brokerage, his northern Canada connections, his First Nations’ economic development interests, his restaurant involvement and a professional sports franchise. All of these are part of the one package, and add his appointment as Honorary Consul of Hungary, and there is a heady mix of skills and experience (wit and good humor) at your table.

Frohlinger was 11 when he fled Budapest in the aftermath of the Soviet tank invasion of the tumultuous 1956 Hungarian Revolution. He emigrated to Canada in 1958 and holds dual Canadian-Hungarian citizenship. While securing his honours geology degree at McGill, he spent time with mining companies across Canada doing geological exploration, line cutting, surveying, diamond drilling, mapping and prospecting. Then an opportunity came up with Manitoba’s Department of Mines Resources and Environmental Management. He joined the department in 1969 and became the head of the province’s mineral administration after five years. Most importantly Tom was responsible for the financial and technical administration of all mining joint venture programs between private industry and the Government of Manitoba between 1972 and 1978. This involved developing and implementing legislation governing development and production of metallic, industrial and quarry minerals as well as the technical and financial supervision of individual projects.

These early career years developed his taste for Canada’s north which launched him into the commercial tourism business. He bought a fishing and hunting lodge in Northwestern Ontario. As owner-operator came lessons in the realities of environment, fisheries, tourism and crown lands bureaucracies. About that time, too, it became clear that a flying license would be an asset, a belief, after experiences of “imperfect arrivals”.

Tom is the managing director for the firm. In this capacity he was nominated as Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year 2004 and again in 2018 in the professional services category for Western Canada.

Frohlinger has spent a lot of time returning his experience to the profession. The mid-1980s to now are marked by many appointments to deliver lectures in business, commerce, management, law, and ethics at the Faculty of Law, at Banff School of Advance Management in Alberta, and to the Law Society of Manitoba and other organizations.

Tom Frohlinger and the firm’s involvement in the life of Winnipeg leads to an association with the culture of the community (Folk Arts Council (Folklorama), Rainbow Stage), sports (Frohlinger’s a basketball aficionado, has been an owner of a professional basketball team and has held executive roles with the International Basketball Association), social service work (Big Brothers), education, hospital volunteering (Children’s Hospital Enhancement Fund chair), assisted housing (Westminster Housing Society Board) and the Manitoba Museum, to name a few.

Tom is married to Heather and they have three adult children who have all become contributing members of their communities and professions.