Kurt A. Franklin

Kurt focuses on overseeing complex, multi-party, class action, and civil rights and impact-litigation defense cases, regularly serving as lead counsel. In the private sector, he has represented franchisee groups and entire business communities in complex multi-party lawsuits. And in the public sector he has appeared before the California Supreme Court to represent more than 100 California cities and local government entities in an amicus effort.

Moreover, for almost 20 years, Kurt has advised businesses and state and local governmental entities about disability access laws. He is well versed in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Unruh Act, the California Disabled Persons Act, Health & Safety Code sections 19955 et seq., the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) and the California Access Compliance Building Regulations (Title 24). Clients seeking Kurt’s help include the State of California, special districts, law firms, transit systems, schools and colleges, a prominent theater, associations, a management group that oversees sports stadiums, a major sporting event authority, a major California racetrack, an animal preserve, restaurants, hotels, clubs, franchisees, commercial building owners, nationwide and local shopping center owners, hospitals and other health care providers, apartments, senior communities, general contractors, architects and others. When multiple defendants are sued by the same plaintiff, Kurt’s complex-litigation background has led to unique large defense-side group representations that can help clients minimize defense-side attorneys’ fees and costs.

Kurt also works with clients to develop disability-access preventative strategies that include training, preparing responses to informal complaints, coordinating with architects and Certified Access Specialists (CASps), reviewing agreements with architects and contractors, reviewing lease and franchise agreements, reviewing purchase agreements, developing due diligence checklists, system wide audits, and review of insurance policies that might cover access claims.

Further, Kurt regularly advises California employers in wage-and-hour, trade secret, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, whistleblower, traditional labor law, arbitration, collective bargaining, employee privacy, due process and government ethics. He has deep experience with public employee bargaining, public employee due process, the California Public Records Act, the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act, the NLRA, RLA, and section 13(c) of the Federal Transit Act. In addition, Kurt serves as national employment counsel for a Silicon Valley based Fortune 500 company, including coordination of outside litigation counsel in other states.