Jeffrey A. Franklin

Jeffrey A. Franklin serves clients in ways that maximize their opportunity to achieve their goals. Jeff has more than 25 years of experience, primarily in business law including the areas of electric, gas, telecommunication, alternative energy, transportation and water regulation. He also has extensive experience in technology, Internet, computer law and cybersecurity issues.

Jeff advises clients regarding compliance with regulatory requirements and the successful implementation of business strategies. Jeff has successfully conducted administrative adjudications, civil cases and appeals before various courts and administrative agencies. He has extensive experience in a variety of legal areas, including administrative law, electric power projects, Marcellus shale, eminent domain, computer law, gaming law and civil litigation.

Jeff counsels clients and lawyers on how to protect confidential information and cybersecurity. He writes and publishes extensively regarding leveraging technology to efficiently and effectively achieve business goals. He is the principal technology consultant with BrightLine Tech Solutions, LLC.

Prior to joining Prince Law Offices, P.C., Jeff was counsel with an Am Law 100 firm, and a partner and Chief Information Officer (CIO) of a Central Pennsylvania-based law firm.

Jeff’s practice areas include Prince Law Offices’ Energy, Utilities, and Communications, Cybersecurity & Privacy practice groups as well as its Business, Intellectual Property, Real Estate including Zoning, Land Use, and Condemnation, and Firearms consulting practice groups.

Practices

• Energy
• Power Generation, Renewable & Utility
• Oil & Gas
• Technology Transactions
• Real Estate
• Cybersecurity & Data Protection
• Land Use
• Business
• Real Estate Development
• Water Law
• Firearms Industry Consulting Group

EDUCATION

• University of Pittsburgh School of Law, J.D., 1990,
• Executive Editor of the Journal of Law and Commerce
• Bucknell University, A.B., Political Science and International Relations, 1987
• London School of Economics, Political Science and International Relations, 1986
• American University, Special Program, Political Science, 1986
• Karrass Effective Negotiating Seminar, 1994

ADMISSIONS

• Pennsylvania
• Supreme Court of the United States
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

AWARDS

• Best Lawyers in America for Energy and for Communications, since 2009 
• Berks County Bar Association Presidential Award for Leadership, 2012
• Berks County Bar Association Presidential Award of Merit, 2010
• Berks County Bar Association Award for Leadership, 2008 and 2004
• Schuylkill River Greenway Association Friend of River Award, 2003
• Martindale-Hubbell BV Distinguished® Peer Review Rated
• Avvo rating of 10 out of 10 Lawyer Jeffrey Franklin | Top Attorney Business | Top Attorney Energy 

MEMBERSHIPS

• American Bar Association (ABA), since 1990
• Past Co-chair ABA Science & Technology Law Telecommunications Committee
• Past Vice-chair ABA Science & Technology Cleantech and Climate Change Committee
• Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA), since 1990
• Cybersecurity Committee, since 2018, Vice chair 2020
• Ethics Committee, since 2016
• House of Delegates, 2018-2019
• Technology, Utility, Gaming, and Practice Management Sections and Committees
• Berks County Bar Association, since 1990
• Immediate Past President, 2020
• President, 2019
• President Elect, 2018
• Vice President, 2017
• Past Treasurer, Past Director, Chairman of the Technology Committee, since 2000
• Endlich Law Club, since 2006
• Past President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary
• Energy Bar Association (EBA), since 1990
• Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA), since 1990
• Computer Law Association (CLA) – International Technology Law Association (ITechLaw), since 1990
• IEEE Computer Society, several years
• InfraGard and Philadelphia Chapter of InfraGard, several years
• International Legal Technology Association (ILTA), several years
• Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania (TCCP), several years
• Exeter Community Education Foundation, Past Chair of Technology and Media Committee
• Go Marcellus Shale, since 2009
• Marcellus Shale Coalition, since 2011

CIVIC & CHARITABLE

• Exeter Community Education Foundation (ECEF), past chair, Technology and Media Committee and webmaster
• Exeter Community Library Technology Committee, member and past chair.
• Berks Technical Institute, Program Advisory Committee
• American Radio Relay League (ARRL), volunteer counsel

SELECT PUBLICATIONS

• Despite Prevalence of E-scams, Safeguards Can Be Emplaced, PA Bar Assoc. PA Bar News, April 2024
• SEE YOURSELF IN CYBERSECURITY, Prince Law Offices, 2022
• STIFF BREEZE AT THE SHORE? – NEW FEDERAL-STATE PARTNERSHIP TO GROW DOMESTIC OFFSHORE WIND SUPPLY CHAIN, Prince Law, 2022
• ABRACADABRA: BAD REVIEWS BE GONE?, Prince Law Offices, 2022
• GIFT CARDS ARE FOR GIFTS, NOT PAYMENTS, Prince Law Offices, 2021
• $5 MILLION IN FUNDING NOW AVAILABLE FOR PENNSYLVANIA BROADBAND PROJECTS, Prince Law Offices, 2021
• PURPLE PAINT MEANS NO TRESPASSING, Prince Law Offices, 2021
• US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ANNOUNCES NEW CYBERSECURITY GUIDANCE, Prince Law Offices, 2021
• Ethical Issues with Legal Marketing, Berks County Bar Association, 2021
• Keep Your Pants On! Ethical obligations for lawyers working remotely, Berks County Bar Association, 2021
• Theft by Email, The Berks Barrister, 2021
• Technology – It will make like so much easier, they said!, NALS of PA, 2020
• Ethical considerations in compensating fact witnesses and email communications with opposing counsel and clients, Berks Bar, 2020
• What is InfraGard?, Pennsylvania Bar Association, 2020
• Cyber Security 201 – Protecting Your Clients’ Information and Your Law Firm, Legal Support Staff Assoc. of Berks County, 2019
• Opening Statement and No Summertime Blues at the Bar, The Berks Barrister, 2019
• Support for Windows 7 and Office 2010 is Ending – Time to Upgrade!, Berks Barrister, 2019
• Police Can’t Force You to Unlock Your Phone With Finger or Face, Judge Rules, PBA Cyber Blog, 2019
• Is your Cyber Insurance Policy Worth the Paper It’s Printed On?, PBA Cyber Blog, 2019
• Avoid a Failed Cover-up, Berks Barrister, 2019
• Clio – A Bar Benefit, Berks Barrister, 2018
• A Bar Benefit – Free Legal Research with Casemaker, Berks Barrister, 2018
• Business E-mail Compromise, Berks Barrister, 2018
• Pennsylvania’s New Public Access Policy, Berks Barrister, Fall 2017
• How to Find Your Lost Laptop and Protect Its Data, Berks Barrister, Winter 2017
• A Comprehensive Revision of Pennsylvania Law on Partnerships and LLCs, PBA Section News, Vol. 32, No. 1, Spring 2017
• Cyber Insurance for Law Firms, ABA GPSolo, Vol. 33, No. 3, 2016
• Apps for Lawyers – The Android List, Berks Barrister, Summer 2016
• Apps for Lawyers – The Apple List, Berks Barrister, Spring 2016
• Law firms among businesses testing the cybersecurity waters, Central Penn Business Journal, 2016
• Cyber Insurance for Law Firms?, Berks Barrister, Winter 2016
• Cybersecurity for Law Firms, Berks Barrister, Fall 2015
• .Com is Dead? Long live .Law!, Berks Barrister, Summer 2015
• Search Like a Pro, Berks Barrister, Spring 2015
• Ransomware, Berks Barrister, Winter 2014
• Social Media as Evidence, Berks County Bar Association Bench Bar, 2015
• Legal Ethics Online, National Business Institute and Thomson West, 2014 and 2013
• Anatomy of a Project – Annual Power Law conference, Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI), 2012 – 2010
• Pennsylvania Water Laws and Regulations, HalfMoon, 2012
• Find It Free and Fast on the Net, National Business Institute, 2012 and 2010
• Drafting Renewable Energy Contracts, 2011
• Renewable Energy – Getting to Megawatts, 2011
• PGCB Update – It’s Plain to See Board’s Improved Transparency, Gaming Industry Observer, 2011
• Don’t Be A Victim To Fraud, Berks Barrister, 2011
• Hot Topics – Telecommunications and Media Law, American Bar Association (ABA), 2011
• PGCB Update – Legalization of Table Games, Gaming Industry Observer, 2010

SELECT SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

• Business Matters – Cybersecurity, WFMZ and Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, 2024
• Key Legal Issues for Nonprofits Implementing Generative AI, Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, 2023
• Artificial Intelligence 2023: Thinking in a New Era, Berks County Bar Association, 2023
• Cyber Exposures For Law Firms, Lackawanna Bar Association, 2021
• Ethical Issues with Legal Marketing, Berks County Bar Association, 2021
• Keep Your Pants On! Ethical obligations for lawyers working remotely, Berks County Bar Association, 2021
• Technology – It will make like so much easier, they said!, NALS of PA, 2020
• Ethical Issues Associated with Compensating Fact Witnesses and Sharing Client Email, Berks County Bar Association, 2020
• Technology: It’ll Make Life So Much Easier, They Said. LOL, Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) County Conference of Bar Leaders (CCBL), 2020
• CyberSecurity 201 – Protecting Your Clients’ Information and Your Law Firm, 2019
• How to Search Like a Pro, Berks County Bar Association, 2018
• Title 15 (New business entity law) and Virtual Practice (technology), Pennsylvania Bar Association Annual Conference, 2017
• First Steps to Starting Your Business, Kutztown University Small Business Development Center, 2017
• Going Paperless and Beyond: Mobile Law Practice, National Business Institute, 2016
• First Steps to Starting Your Business, Kutztown University Small Business Development Center, 2016
• Annual HR Summit, Cybersecurity, Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce & Industry, 2016
• How to Search Like a Pro, IPE and Thomson West, 2016
• Fun Phone and Fax Facts, Berks County Bar Association, 2016
• How to Search Like a Pro, IPE and Thomson West, 2015
• Social Media as Evidence, Berks County Bar Association Bench Bar, 2015
• Pennsylvania Pipelines, PA Local Government Training Partnership, 2015
• Legal Ethics When Lawyers Are Online, Clear Law Institute, 2014
• Interviewed by a reporter for an article regarding Net Neutrality, 2014
• Legal Ethics Online, National Business Institute and Thomson West, 2014 and 2013
• Permitting Power Projects, Duquesne Law School, 2014 and 2013
• Public Utility Law Conference, Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI), 2013
• Anatomy of a Project – Annual Power Law conference, Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI), 2012 – 2010
• Find It Free and Fast on the Net, National Business Institute, 2012 and 2010
• Pennsylvania Water Law and Regulations, HalfMoon, 2012
• Ethical Cloud Computing, Berks County Bar Association, 2012
• Drafting Renewable Energy Contracts, 2011
• Renewable Energy – Getting to Megawatts, 2011
• PGCB Update – It’s Plain to See Board’s Improved Transparency, Gaming Industry Observer, 2011
• Hot Topics – Telecommunications and Media Law, American Bar Association (ABA), 2011

Representative Experience

• Directed multi-disciplinary teams to successful acquisition and financing of two different 829 megawatt (MW) natural gas-fueled combined-cycle electric generation stations.
• Led multi-disciplinary teams for energy developer to acquire real estate, title insurance, financing, environmental, regulatory approvals, development, and construction of a 139.4 MW $215 million project in Pennsylvania and Maryland.
• Obtained acquisition of development rights to a 17.5 MW project and Power Purchase Agreement as well as negotiations with PJM.
• Led team in $900 million sale by a developer of projects with combined 480 MW capacity.
• Represented developer in achieving $285 million financing of three projects in Texas and Pennsylvania plus leasing, development, and land-use for a 52.5 MW wind farm.
• Led developer in acquisition of 100% of the equity interest in 38 MW project.
• Led developer to regulatory and real estate approvals for proposed 100.5 MW facility.
• Represented developer in $221 million long-term, non-recourse financing of 101 MW project and served as lead state and local counsel to developer and operator.
• Represented developer in the acquisition and approvals of a 100 MW proposed project.
• Conducted due diligence for Marcellus Shale gas transactions in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
• Advise and Establish new limited liability companies (LLCs) and corporations.
• Litigate eminent domain – condemnation actions.
• Negotiate rights of way and easements.
• Advise and Litigate trademark ®, TM, and SM and Copyright © filings.
• Negotiated contracts, options, leases, and mutual use agreements for developers.
• Resolved regulatory and title issues for developers.
• Obtained federal and state approvals for new transportation company.
• Revised motor carrier and logistics provider agreements.
• Litigated rate and regulatory cases for several public utility companies.
• Negotiated multiple technology transaction agreements.
• Assisted a major utility client with satisfaction of debt in 38 counties in Pennsylvania and Maryland.
• Created and enforced wind power and gas contracts, leases and options.
• Created computer software contracts to meet specific client needs.
• Obtained approvals for a major utility client’s renewable energy facility and successfully defending those approvals in the county courts of common pleas, Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court and Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
• Obtained certificates of public convenience for a variety of utilities.
• Obtained local approvals for a large water company.

PRO BONO PUBLICO

• MidPenn Legal Services
• Schuylkill River Greenway Association (Rails to Trails)
• American Radio Relay League (ARRL), Volunteer Counsel, since 1990 (FCC and land-use)

Lawyer Jeffrey Franklin | Top Attorney Energy

Lawyer Jeffrey Franklin | Top Attorney Business

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