Just after he left Channel 3, television veteran Dave Frankel was in line at the post office when a man recognized him and said, “What I can really use is a former TV weatherman to host a fundraiser I’m holding for a school I want to start.”

Dave agreed to the host gig and, in doing so, he became interested what was happening with special-needs children -- in this case, autistic children for whom the Magnolia School in Berwyn was established.

Dave did more than make appearances and get involved with the Magnolia School. He made a decision to go to law school.

“When I started in 2003, I knew I’d be one of the oldest students,” Frankel said, adding with his well-remembered humor, “I didn’t know I’d be older than the professors.”

After earning his law degree in 2006, Dave went to work for a Center City firm, Montgomery McCracken, and handled general corporate cases while working with another attorney on talent representation and labor matters he understood from his days delivering the weather at Channel 6 and the news at Channel 3.

The needs of children, particularly special-needs children, remained on his mind.

In 2009, he and another attorney, Josh Kershenbaum, began a practice to help children receive the services to which they are entitled in local school districts.

Frankel & Kershenbaum work out of court to see that children have access to programs designed for their education and well-being while litigating more complicated or contested cases in administrative and federal courts.

“I have always been interested in children. I enjoyed raising three kids and being around them and their friends. I liked being a kid myself. My experience with Magnolia showed me the need. Josh, my partner, worked of behalf of children at the firm where we met. When we decided to go out on our own, the law as it affects children and education became our focus.”

Frankel’s last day at Channel 3 was Sept. 7, 2001, the Friday before the September 11 terrorist attacks that changed America forever.

“Like many,” Dave quips, “I have pre-Sept. 11 and post-Sept. 11 lives.

“I remember when the story broke the mixed feeling of wanting to be at the news desk and reporting all of the events and details and relief at not being involved in all of the hubbub. I don’t remember which feeling dominated.

“The law is much quieter than television. Newsrooms are always filled with smart, energetic people in a frenzy to meet a deadline or make a sharp comment about something that’s happening. Newsrooms are busy places. If I miss anything, it’s the energy and camaraderie that comes with television and news where you’re surrounded by a bunch of people who are intense and funny and driven and in high gear.

“At my practice, I might walk down the hall to see or confer with Josh, but usually when we’re not meeting with clients, we’re at our desks quietly looking over cases and doing the work involved to make sure our clients receive all their supposed to receive.

“For most of the day, I work alone. There’s an advantage to that. The pace is slower. You can be more thoughtful. Not that the news is not thoughtful. It’s a different kind of thoughtfulness. The law demands that you be more deliberate. The deadlines are longer, but the stakes in some ways are higher.

“When you report a news story, you don’t care about the outcome. If the stock market dips or if the stock market soars, it might mean something to you personally, but it’s all the same to you as a reporter. You don’t want to give opinions, and you don’t show whether you have anything at stake.

“With the law, the stakes are high. They’re critical. Your clients’ well-being is on the line. They are depending on you to set matters on their right course. You can’t have a down day. You are totally involved in the outcome. Beyond quiet, that is a major difference between my pre-Sept. 11 and post-Sept. 11 professions.

“Both of the professional worlds in which I’ve lived and worked have their advantages. They both offer the satisfaction that you did a service, that you helped people. The law has more to offer in that regard.

“Personally I enjoy more freedom to express myself, my personal opinions, that I had while in television news. If I like, I can attend an Obama rally or advocate for something in my community. I relish that liberty.

“I no longer represent a television station, but I do represent and reflect my clients. Most of them fit into our firm’s philosophy,” which is to identify what is best for a child and his or her family and to make sure they receive it.”

Much of what Frankel does involves negotiations that take place away from a court setting.

Now and then, litigation before a judge is involved.

“My years in television have made appearing in court much less intimidating. Years on live television is good preparation for speaking in a courtroom. Again, more is at stake in the courtroom. You are telling a story that can change someone’s life.”

The day before we speak, Dave and his wife, Marjie, celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary by taking in a movie, “50/50,” which Dave said was excellent.

“Marjie and I don’t get to the movies that often, so it’s great when you the picture you chose turns out to be one that moves and entertains you.”

The Frankels live in Radnor, and Dave is quick to add, “on the Delco side.”