Ron Franklin is a life long Houstonian who has enjoyed 35 years of success as a litigator at his own firm. After attending public schools, he attended the University of Texas, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1973. As an undergraduate, he was honored with his selection as a member of the Friar Society and a UT Outstanding student. He obtained his law degree from the University of Texas in 1976.
Ron began his legal career at one of Houston's premier firms (Vinson & Elkins), where he enjoyed an active trial practice. He tried 15 trials to a final verdict in his first 3 years of practice. Soon thereafter, he founded his own firm.
Over the past thirty years, Ron has obtained multiple million dollar verdicts on behalf of commercial, libel and personal injury clients, and has also obtained favorable defense verdicts on behalf of Fortune 500 companies, including ExxonMobil. He has tried over one hundred cases to a final jury verdict.
His firm received national publicity when Ron represented the surviving son of a murder victim against Soldier of Fortune magazine. The jury found that the magazine knowingly published "personal services" advertisements offering the services of criminals to perform a wide array of criminal activities, including in this case, murder-for-hire. The jury's verdict included actual and punitive damages.
In an ERISA matter, Ron successfully obtained a $140,000,000 settlement on behalf of employees of a privately owned oil company who were promised ownership of the company.
Ron was featured on "Court-TV" during the six week trial of the libel suit brought by former Houston mayoral candidate, Sylvester Turner, against local ABC affiliate, KTRK-TV. In a news report, KTRK had suggested that Turner might have been linked to a fraud scheme in which one of Turner's former clients had faked his death to collect insurance money. The jury found that the story was false and awarded the Plaintiff both actual and punitive damages. The case was featured in an hour-long broadcast on Dateline NBC.
In 2002, after five days of trial, Ron obtained a settlement for an aggrieved family from General Motors in connection with the rollover of their GM Suburban vehicle. Although the settlement amount is confidential, it is reported to be the highest amount ever paid by GM in the settlement of a rollover and seat belt case.
Most recently, in March 2010, Ron obtained a favorable $15,000,000 verdict on behalf of an injured worker in a case against a major oil company.
Ron serves as a member of the Texas Bar Association Pattern Jury Charge Oversight committee, appointed by President-Elect of the State Bar of Texas, Terry Tottenham. Ron has been selected as a Texas Monthy "Superlawyer" every year since the inception of the award, and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Ron's solid performance in the courtroom is grounded in his commitment to the Houston community. In 1992, he began eight years of service as a trustee of the Houston Independent School District. He also served as President of the Board of Trustees, responsible for overseeing the District's multi-billion dollar budget. Ron served with Dr. Rod Page, later appointed by President George W. Bush as Secretary of Education.
Ron has also served on several artistic Boards, including the executive committee of Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Ballet, and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra.
Ron has two daughters, the eldest a senior at Trinity University in San Antonio - and recent Obama White House intern - and his youngest, a freshman at Northwestern University, where she is attending on an athletic scholarship (field-hockey).
Ron Franklin
Born July 13, 1951, Board Certified, Personal Injury Trial Law, 1984.
Contact
713-222-6025
franklin@fcj.com
Education
- University of Texas School of Law, 1976
- University of Texas, 1973 (Phi Beta Kappa)
- Friar Society
- Outstanding Student
- President, Tejas Club
- President, Texas Board of Student Publications
Honors & Distinctions
- Houston Independent School District Board of Trustees, President and Member, 1990-1998
- American Board of Trial Advocates
- Co-Author: Texas Practice Guide: Torts, West Group (2002)
- Recognized by Texas Monthly as a "Texas Super Lawyer", 2003-2006
- Texans for Civil Justice, Co-founder, 2004
- Selected for inclusion in 2007 The Best Lawyers in America in Commercial and Personal Injury Litigation
Professional Affiliations
- American Trial Lawyers Association
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Houston Trial Lawyers Association
- Texas Bar Association
- Houston Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- United States Supreme Court
- Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals of the United States
- Attorneys Information Exchange Group
- Houston Grand Opera, Former Member, Executive Committee
- River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, Board Member