Franco specializes in high-stakes litigation in state and federal court. His clients include technology companies, professional sports leagues, investors, and criminal defendants. He has significant experience at every phase of the litigation process and has played a leading role in multiple trials where his clients were victorious on all claims. He maintains a robust pro bono practice with an emphasis on prisoners’ rights.
Franco is a proud Latin American immigrant and is deeply committed to making the legal profession more equitable and inclusive for lawyers from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association.
He began his legal career by clerking for Judge Susan P. Graber of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge Virginia A. Phillips of the Central District of California. He earned his law degree from UCLA School of Law and his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Before law school, Franco taught high school English in the Spanish Harlem neighborhood of New York City.
We represent Oregon State University in a lawsuit against the Pac-12 Conference to determine control of the Pac-12, in the wake of the announced departures of 10 Conference members. We achieved a temporary restraining order that prevents the 10 departing Conference members from wrongfully seizing control of the Pac-12.
We represent the PGA TOUR in an antitrust lawsuit filed by 11 professional golfers who left the PGA TOUR and joined LIV Golf. We defeated plaintiffs’ motion for a temporary restraining order seeking to force the PGA TOUR to allow them to play in the FedExCup Playoffs. We also recently won a motion to compel subpoena compliance from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and its Governor, Yassir Al-Rumayyan.
As part of our pro bono practice, we represented the families of four political prisoners that were killed by members of the Argentine military in the 1970s. We brought claims on behalf of the families under the Torture Victim Protections Act in the Southern District of Florida against former Argentine naval officer Roberto Guillermo Bravo. Following a weeklong trial, a Miami jury found Mr. Bravo responsible for the extrajudicial killing and torture of our clients’ family members awarded them more than $24 million in damages.
We defended LinkedIn against a nationwide putative class action alleging fraud, unfair competition, false advertising, and other claims arising from allegedly invalid activity on LinkedIn’s ad platform. We won a motion to dismiss the case with prejudice, where the court found that the plaintiffs had failed to plead any viable theory.
We represented Netflix and 12 current and former employees in a federal prosecution against Michael Kail, a former Netflix employee. In coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI, we prepared the Netflix witnesses to testify during a two and a half-week trial in the Northern District of California. Mr. Kail was convicted of wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering.
We represented LinkedIn and three current and former employees in a federal prosecution against Yevgeniy Nikulin, a computer hacker. In coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI, we prepared the LinkedIn witnesses to testify during a weeklong trial in the Northern District of California. Mr. Nikulin was convicted of computer intrusion, intentional transmission of information, and aggravated identify theft.
We defended Southern Glazer’s, the leading alcohol wholesaler and distributor in the United States, against a nationwide putative class action alleging anticompetitive behavior and unfair competition. We secured a complete victory for our client by dismissing all claims with prejudice at the pleading stage.
Keker, Van Nest & Peters has awarded $100,000 in scholarship funds to its 2023 recipients Sandra Ascencio, Ju Lee, Dominick Williams, and Trudy-Ann Williamson. Since the inception of its Diversity Scholars Program in 2011, Keker, Van Nest & Peters has awarded nearly $500,000 to deserving law students nationwide. Read more
Two Keker, Van Nest & Peters teams were named among The Am Law Litigation Daily's Litigators of the Week Runners-Up for their back-to-back trial wins. Read more
A Miami jury found former Argentine naval officer Roberto Guillermo Bravo responsible for the extrajudicial killing of Eduardo Cappello, Rubén Bonet, Ana María Villarreal de Santucho. Read more
U.S. jury awards families of four victims $24.25 million in damages after finding Roberto Guillermo Bravo civilly liable for torture and extrajudicial killing Read more
The Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA), Keker, Van Nest & Peters, and Markus/Moss PLLP, in collaboration with the Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS-Center of Legal and Social Studies), filed suit against former Argentine naval officer Roberto Guillermo Bravo for his alleged role in the 1972 mass shooting of political prisoners at a military base in Trelew, Argentina. Read more