Terrence M. Franklin

Estate litigation

Trust litigation

Conservatorship litigation

Estate, probate and trust mediation

Estate, probate and trust appeals

Prior:

Morrison & Foerster, Los Angeles, CA

Ross, Sacks & Glazier, Partner

American Bar Association Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, Council Member

American Bar Association Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, Chair, Attorneys Partnering with Nonlawyers Committee

American Bar Association Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, Chair, Ethics and Malpractice Committee

American Bar Association Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, Member, National Conference of Lawyers and Corporate Fiduciaries

American Bar Association Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, Vice Chair, Practice Group Management

American Bar Association Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, Supervisory Council Member, Litigation, Ethics and Malpractice Group

American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Fellow

American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Host, Planning for a Diverse and Equitable Future video series

American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Member, Diversity Task Force

American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Member, Program Committee

American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) Foundation, Member, Board of Directors

American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Member, California Membership Committee

American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Member, Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity Committee

American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Member, Fiduciary Litigation Committee

American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education, Estate Planning Advisory Panel

California Board of Legal Specialization, Member, Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Advisory Committee

National Organizing Coalition On Virus Information Distribution (“NOCOVID”), Member

Outfest, Co-President, Board of Directors

State Bar of California, Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law Section, Member, Litigation Sub-Committee

University of Southern California Gould School of Law’s Trust & Estate Conference, Chair

University of Southern California Gould School of Law’s Trust & Estate Conference, Member, Planning Committee

Speechifying and Scribbling—A Candid Discussion about the “Why” and “How” of Integrating Public Speaking and Presentations into Your Trusts and Estates Career, Probate & Property, December 2022

Black Deaths Should Matter, Too! Estate Planning as a Tool for Antiracists, ALI CLE’s The Practical Lawyer, June 2022

Black Deaths Should Matter, Too! Estate Planning as a Tool for Antiracists, ALI CLE’s Estate Planning Course Materials Journal, April 2022

Black Deaths Should Matter, Too! Estate Planning as a Tool for Antiracists , ACTEC Law Journal, Fall 2021

Host, Planning for a Diverse and Equitable Future, ACTEC Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity Video Series

Bending the Arc of History Toward Justice—What a Trusts and Estates Lawyer Can Do, The Practical Lawyer, February 2021

The 1846 Last Will of John Sutton—What’s Not So New in Will Drafting and Contests, Wealth Strategies Journal, September 2018

LAST WILL, NEW TESTAMENT: The search for the story behind the will that set Terry Franklin’s ancestors free, Southern California Super Lawyers magazine, February 2018

Co-author, Hot Topics in Estate, Trust & Conservatorship Litigation: Contests After Death, Pre-Death Contests, and Intentional Interference with Expected Inheritance (Among Other Things), American Law Institute – CLE Estate Planning Course Materials Journal, 2017

Will Power: A 19th-century document leads Terry Franklin on a journey of self-discovery, Harvard Law Today, October, 2016

Minority Powerbrokers Q&A: Sacks Glazier’s Terrence Franklin, Law360, January, 2015

Author, Tracing One Family’s Path to Freedom, Through Love, 15 ASIA-PACIFIC LAW & POLICY JOURNAL 1 (with Eric K. Yamamoto and Sara Lee), September/October, 2014

Co-author, What is a Care Custodian Under Probate Code 21350, California Trust & Estates Quarterly, Volume 11, Issue 4, Winter, 2005

Terrence M. Franklin brings more than three decades of experience to high-stakes trust, estate and probate litigation throughout California, including trials, disputes and appeals. A formidable advocate in and out of the courtroom, he has argued and won significant cases, including successful published appeals and the landmark Moeller case brought before the California Supreme Court (16 Cal. 4th 1124). Clients, including high-net-worth individuals, charitable organizations, educational institutions, large and small businesses, and corporate and individual fiduciaries, turn to Mr. Franklin for his skill in navigating complex legal issues and guidance in sensitive matters.

An active leader in the trusts and estates community, Mr. Franklin has held numerous influential roles that have shaped trusts and estates law, advanced diversity and inclusion, and expanded engagement among minority lawyers. As a longtime Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and among his many positions, Mr. Franklin served as Chair of the organization’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity Committee where he developed strategies to make the trusts and estates practice more attractive to minority law students and young attorneys.

Mr. Franklin also helped develop, and was then tapped to host, ACTEC’s video series “Planning for a Diverse and Equitable Future,” which examines the role of trusts and estates by addressing issues of diversity and inclusion in America. The ongoing series was recognized in 2022 with two Awards of Distinction by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts, the leading international creative awards program honoring creative excellence for marketing and communications professionals.

Most recently, Mr. Franklin facilitated the establishment of the UCLA School of Law Postgraduate Fellowship for Racial Equity in Trust & Estate Law, hosted by Bet Tzedek Legal Services. Along with colleagues, he obtained a substantial monetary commitment from Los Angeles firms, allowing UCLA and Bet Tzedek to launch the Fellowship in 2023.

Throughout the years, Mr. Franklin has played an integral role in the American Bar Association Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section, including former positions as Council Member; Chair of Attorneys Partnering with Nonlawyers Committee; Chair of the Ethics and Malpractice Committee; Vice Chair of the Practice Group Management; Member of the National Conference of Lawyers and Corporate Fiduciaries; Supervisory Council Member of the Litigation, Ethics and Malpractice Group; and Member of the Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility.

A prolific speaker, Mr. Franklin is frequently called upon to present to local, state and national organizations, including Bet Tzedek Rebecca Nichols Symposium, Delaware Trust Conference, Fiduciary Trust International’s Young Lawyers Program, Harvard Black Alumni Global Changemakers Conference, Hawaii Tax Institute, Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, New Jersey State Bar Elder and Disability Law Symposium, Regions Bank Legal Department and the USC Gould School of Law Trust & Estate Conference, where he has served as Program Chair since 2019.

Mr. Franklin has also given his renowned talk “Bending the Arc of History Towards Justice” to dozens of groups nationwide, including at the third annual TEDxDavenport. He shares his powerful story of uncovering a family will that liberated his ancestors from slavery in 1846, and explores how we all have a role in shaping history.

Mr. Franklin’s distinguished litigation career and leadership in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion have earned him widespread recognition. His accolades and honors include: Lifetime Achievement Award by Chambers and Partners Diversity & Inclusion in 2021; Band 1 – Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Private Wealth Disputes; Most Influential Minority Lawyers and Leaders of Influence: Litigators & Trial Lawyers, Los Angeles Business Journal; LA Times Business of Law: Visionaries; Top 100, The National Black Lawyers; Southern California Super Lawyers every year since 2005 and Top 100 list; and Best Lawyers since 2011. Mr. Franklin was also named Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” in 2016 for Trusts & Estates Litigation – Los Angeles, awarded to individual attorneys with the highest overall peer feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region. Only one attorney is recognized as the “Lawyer of the Year” for each specialty and location.

Harvard Law School

JD

Northwestern University

Bachelors

Lifetime Achievement Award – Diversity & Inclusion

Chambers and Partners

2021

Who's Who in Law –

Los Angeles Business Journal

Best of L.A. Legal

Los Angeles Magazine

Top Estate & Wealth Management Lawyers

Daily Journal

LA500

Los Angeles Business Journal

500 Leading Lawyers, Probate Litigation

Lawdragon

Black History Month Honoree

Los Angeles County Bar Association

Business of Law: Visionaries

Los Angeles Times

DEIA Visionaries

Los Angeles Times

Top 100 Lawyers

Los Angeles Business Journal

Most Influential Minority Attorneys

Los Angeles Business Journal

Leaders of Influence: Litigators & Trial Lawyers –

Los Angeles Business Journal

Leaders of Influence: Minority Attorneys

Los Angeles Business Journal

Champion of Mentorship

Los Angeles Business Journal

Top 10 Influential California Lawyers in Private Wealth Disputes

Business Today

Top 100

The National Black Lawyers

Lawyer of the Year, Litigation – Trust & Estates, Los Angeles

Best Lawyers

2016

Southern California Super Lawyers Top 100

Super Lawyers