Overview
Beatrice 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. These experiences provided her with unparalleled insight into the workings of the bench as well as a keen understanding of trial and appellate law.
Ms. Franklin applies this knowledge to her representation of both plaintiffs and defendants in all types and stages of commercial litigation. She has litigated cases across a broad spectrum of practices areas including complex business disputes, energy matters, real estate, patent, antitrust, securities, and financial services. Her work has resulted in successful trial judgments, multimillion-dollar settlements, and defense-side dismissals.
Ms. Franklin’s recent representations include:
- Winning 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.
- Serving as part of the co-lead counsel team for a certified class of home sellers asserting antitrust claims relating to broker commissions against the four largest national real estate services companies and the National Association of Realtors. The class has reached proposed settlements of over $200 million with three of the brokerage defendants. Throughout the case, Ms. Franklin has played a critical role: successfully arguing the motion to appoint interim co-lead counsel; successfully opposing the defendants’ motions to dismiss; securing class certification; winning multiple discovery motions; and deposing nearly a dozen key witnesses in the case, including senior executives from the country’s largest real estate brokerages.
- Representing 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 St. Cloud Times, with whom Ms. Franklin discussed the case and reflected back on her time clerking for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
- Representing Joel and Mary Rich, the parents of a murdered son, Seth Rich, in a groundbreaking lawsuit against Fox News and individual defendants for intentional infliction of emotional distress claims and related torts. After the Second Circuit reversed the district court’s dismissal of the Riches’ claims, Ms. Franklin litigated multiple discovery motions, paving the way for a confidential settlement.
- Working pro bono, Ms. Franklin 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.
Ms. Franklin 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.
Honors & Distinctions
Honors and Awards
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