Harold Franklin (JD '99), partner at King & Spalding, kicks off Law Week with speech on "Lincoln's Legacy of Liberty" April 6
April 3, 2009
Harold E. Franklin, Jr., a 1999 graduate of Georgia State University College of Law and a partner at the King & Spalding law firm in Atlanta, will kick off Law Week 2009 on Monday, April 6, with a keynote speech at 11:45 a.m. in Room 170 of the Urban Life Building.
Franklin's presentation will reflect on the "Lasting Effects of Lincoln's Legacy of Liberty on Our Lives." The event is presented by the Student Bar Association.
Franklin's practice focuses on complex and high-stakes product liability litigation and is a partner with the firm's Tort and Environmental Law Practice Group, which was selected by The American Lawyer in 2004 as one of the top three in the country and by Chambers in 2005 and 2006 as one of the top six. Franklin has served as counsel for a number of the country's largest automotive, pharmaceutical, beverage, and package delivery companies. Mr. Franklin has been actively involved in a multitude of matters throughout the continental United States, in addition to Puerto Rico, Europe and South America.
Franklin is a 1990 graduate of Emory University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Spanish. He has served as a Spanish interviewer and translator with both public and private sector entities, including serving as a volunteer translator with the Latin American Association in Atlanta, Georgia.
While in law school, Franklin received a host of trial and appellate awards in local, regional, and national competitions, including: Ranked 2nd place in First Year Research, Writing, and Analysis Moot Court Oral Argument Competition; Nominated “Best Oralist” in the 1997-98 Student Trial Lawyer's Association Trial Competition; Ranked 3rd Place in 1997-98 Student Trial Lawyer's Southeast Regional Trial Competition; Ranked 1st Place in Preliminary Rounds and National Semi-Finalist in 1999 National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition; and Ranked 2nd Place Regional Finalist in 1999 Jessup International Moot Court Competition. In addition, in law school, Franklin was a member of the Bleckley Inn of Court, a litigation honor society.
During law school, Franklin served as a Student Judicial Clerk to the Supreme Court of Georgia for current Chief Justice Leah W. Sears and also served as a judicial extern with the Federal Reserve Bank. In addition, Franklin studied international law in the 1997 Transnational Comparative Dispute Resolution Program at the law school at Johannes Keppler University in Linz, Austria.
In addition to his active practice, Franklin has engaged in numerous pro bono and community service endeavors in his service to the community and bar. In 2007, during his tenure as president of the Gate City Bar Association, Franklin and a core team of colleagues and others designed and implemented the Justice Robert Benham Law Camp. The program is named in honor of Georgia Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham, the first African-American appointed to the state's highest court and the first to serve as Chief Justice. Presented in partnership with Georgia State University College of Law and Clark Atlanta University's Educational Talent Search Program, Benham Law Camp exposes high school students to the legal profession. The purpose of the program is to address a glaring inequality in the racial makeup of the legal profession.