Overview
Beatrice Franklin is a trusted, high-stakes litigator who has secured over a billion dollars in judgments and settlements, in addition to decisive defense-side dismissals, in the last three years alone. Ms. Franklin excels at analyzing complex legal issues, obtaining case-critical discovery, and delivering persuasive oral advocacy. These skills have led to wins in numerous practice areas, including financial services, real estate, class actions, and energy disputes.
For her successes, Ms. Franklin has been named a Rising Star by both the New York Law Journal (2024) and New York Super Lawyers (2024), among Lawdragon’s Next Generation of Leading Lawyers (2023, 2024), and a member of Benchmark Litigation’s 40 And Under Hot List (2023, 2024), among other honors. Her recent wins include:
- Obtaining over $1 billion in proposed settlements for the plaintiff class of home sellers relating to residential broker commissions
- A $36 million post-trial judgment for a commercial real estate client
- Dismissals of cases seeking hundreds of millions in damages brought by the Kansas AG and private plaintiff classes for alleged natural-gas overcharges during Winter Storm Uri
- Winning a grant of asylum for a Nigerian political activist
Ms. Franklin is currently representing Virtual Dining Concepts in its litigation with Jimmy Donaldson, a/k/a MrBeast, involving their MrBeast Burger partnership. In that litigation, she has successfully defeated a motion to dismiss her client’s contract claims and litigated a variety of discovery disputes. She is also serving as co-lead counsel to constructors of the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge seeking $1 billion in underpayment for the successfully completed bridge project and representing the ABA in litigation challenging the Administration’s policy of unconstitutional retaliation against lawyers and law firms. Read more about the ABA litigation in Reuters, Politico, and Law360.
Ms. Franklin joined Susman Godfrey after clerking for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Susan Carney on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and Judge Jesse Furman on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University and received her J.D. from Columbia Law School, where she received the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Prize and won Best Oralist and Best Brief in the Harlan Fiske Stone Honors Moot Court competition.
Notable Representations
- Moehrl, et al., v. National Association of Realtors, et al. (N.D. III.); Gibson, et al. v. National Association of Realtors, et al. (W.D. Mo.). Serving as part of the co-lead counsel team against the country’s largest real estate services companies and the National Association of Realtors. The class has reached proposed settlements of over $1 billion with the National Association of Realtors and numerous brokerage defendants. Throughout the case, Ms. Franklin has played a critical role: opposing the defendants’ motions to dismiss; securing class certification; winning discovery motions; and deposing nearly a dozen key witnesses in the case, including defendants’ senior executives. Read more.
- Tang v. USCIS (S.D.N.Y.). Representing proposed class of millions of immigration benefit applicants seeking refund of illegally exacted application fees.
- Macquarie Winer Storm Litigation. Representing Macquarie Energy in several matters arising out of Winter Storm Uri. Achieved dismissal of cases brought by the Kansas Attorney General and putative classes of Kansas consumers. Other matters have been resolved favorably for her client.
- Glacier Park Iron Ore Properties v. United States Steel Corp. (Minnesota Supreme Court) Represented Glacier Park Iron Ore Properties in its lease dispute with U.S. Steel Corporation related to valuable mining lands in the Minnesota Iron Range. In addition to briefing and arguing arbitrability issues in the Minnesota Court of Appeals, Ms. Franklin successfully petitioned the Minnesota Supreme Court for review of the Court of Appeals’ order denying her team’s motion to compel arbitration. She also argued that appeal at the Minnesota Supreme Court – this argument was covered by The American Lawyer, which spotlighted Ms. Franklin’s work and sought her opinion on how to get more young, female lawyers in front of appellate courts and by the Cloud Times, with whom Ms. Franklin discussed the case and reflected back on her time clerking for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
- Beast Investments, LLC v. Celebrity Virtual Dining, LLC, et al.(New York Commercial Division) Representing Virtual Dining Concepts in its litigation with Jimmy Donaldson, a/k/a MrBeast, involving their MrBeast Burger partnership. Ms. Franklin has successfully defeated a motion to dismiss her client’s contract claims and litigated a variety of discovery disputes.
- Tappan Zee Constructors LLC v. New York State Thruway Authority (New York Court of Claims) Representing constructors of the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge seeking $1 billion in underpayment for the successfully completed bridge project.
- In re P3 Health Group Holdings, LLC (Delaware Chancery) Represented investor asserting breach of contract and fiduciary duty claims arising out of undervalued de-SPAC transaction. Case settled favorably on the eve of trial, two days following submission of Ms. Franklin’s pre-trial brief.
- Confidential Hedge Fund Arbitration. Represented hedge fund in highly contested arbitration that settled favorably shortly before the hearing.
- 255 Butler Associates LLC v. 255 Butler LLC (Kings County) Won a $36 million judgment for a commercial tenant in its dispute with a landlord over valuable commercial space in Brooklyn, New York. At trial, Ms. Franklin presented multiple witnesses and cross-examined the defendant’s sole expert. Both before and after the judgment, Ms. Franklin briefed and argued numerous successful motions in both the trial court and Second Department. Read more.
- Mocco v. Ellington (New Jersey Superior Court) Representing defendant Ellington Management in breach of contract and tort claims arising out of several New Jersey real estate financing transactions. Ms. Frankling successfully argued against the plaintiff’s partial motion for summary judgment on issues of res judicata. The case resolved in a favorable confidential settlement after further summary judgment briefing and pretrial motions drafted by Ms. Franklin.
- Prelitigation Commercial Real Estate Dispute. Successfully brokered agreement between several interested parties for sale of a commercial Manhattan property.
- Glacier Park Iron Ore Properties v. United States Steel Corp. (Minnesota Supreme Court) Represented Glacier Park Iron Ore Properties in its lease dispute with U.S. Steel Corporation related to valuable mining lands in the Minnesota Iron Range. In addition to briefing and arguing arbitrability issues in the Minnesota Court of Appeals, Ms. Franklin successfully petitioned the Minnesota Supreme Court for review of the Court of Appeals’ order denying her team’s motion to compel arbitration. She also argued that appeal at the Minnesota Supreme Court – this argument was covered by The American Lawyer, which spotlighted Ms. Franklin’s work and sought her opinion on how to get more young, female lawyers in front of appellate courts and by the Cloud Times, with whom Ms. Franklin discussed the case and reflected back on her time clerking for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
- Osariemen v. Garland(Second Circuit Court of Appeals) Working pro bono, argued and won an appeal before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on behalf of a petitioner whose asylum application was rejected by the immigration court and BIA. Shortly following Ms. Franklin’s argument, the Second Circuit issued an order granting the petition and sending the case back for a new asylum hearing. Click here to read the opinion and here to listen to Ms. Franklin’s argument.
- Barclays Capital v. Platt, et al. (Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals) Successfully affirmed approval of multimillion-dollar arbitration award in employment dispute.
- Gibson, et al. v. National Association of Realtors, et al. (Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals) Successfully defeated petition for mandamus seeking to transfer case, following the Court’s request for briefing in opposition to petition.
- 255 Butler Associates LLC v. 255 Butler LLC(N.Y. Appellate Division, Second Department) Successfully briefed and argued numerous appeals in commercial real estate case, including emergency applications.
- Osariemen v. Garland(Second Circuit Court of Appeals, Executive Office of Immigration Review) Represented Nigerian political activist seeking asylum on appeal, successfully reversing asylum denial, and then in continuation proceedings below. Following briefing and a hearing before the immigration judge on remand, achieved asylum for client after nearly a decade of litigation.
- American Bar Association v. Executive Office of the President, et al. (D.D.C.) Representing the ABA in litigation challenging the Administration’s policy of unconstitutional retaliation against lawyers and law firms.
- Oost-Lievense v. Westport (Westport Board of Education) Represented varsity soccer coach in employment appeal before the Westport BOE, singlehandedly examining witnesses and delivering oral argument in a 14-hour hearing. Ms. Franklin’s representation caused her to be named an “Unsung Hero” of the Westport community.
Honors & Distinctions
Honors and Awards
- Rising Star, New York Super Lawyers – an honor awarded to the top 2.5% of lawyers under the age of 40 in New York (2024, Thomson Reuters)
- Rising Star, New York Law Journal (2024, ALM)
- Lawdragon 500X - The Next Generation of Leading Lawyers (2023, 2024)
- Lawdragon Top 500 Plaintiff Financial Lawyers (2024, 2025)
- Rising Star of the Plaintiffs Bar, National Law Journal Elite Trial Lawyers (2024, ALM)
- 40 and Under Hot List, Benchmark Litigation (2023, 2024)
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg Prize
- James Kent Scholar
- Best Oralist and Best Brief, Harlan Fiske Stone Moot Court Competition
- National Association of Women Lawyers, Outstanding Law Student
Clerkships
- Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court of the United States
- Honorable Susan Carney, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- Honorable Jesse Furman, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Education
Education
- Columbia Law School
- Harvard University (B.A., magna cum laude)
Admissions
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- New York
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Languages
Languages
- French
- Italian
