The national law firm of Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC recently announced that David P. Franklin has joined the Corporate and Business Counseling practice as a Member (partner) in the Pittsburgh office.
Previously a partner and chair of the Business/Corporate department at Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP, Franklin handles a wide variety of matters on behalf of clients including acquisitions, dispositions and mergers, joint ventures and strategic alliances, distribution agreements, outsourcing arrangements, internal reorganizations, employment issues and complex commercial contracts.
“Dave is a leading corporate lawyer who has developed a successful and growing practice and his innovative approach, track record of success and visibility in the Pittsburgh area make him a great fit for the firm,” said Timothy Q. Hudak, Chair of Eckert Seamans’ Business Division. “We are very excited to have him on board.”
Franklin counsels a wide range of privately held and publicly owned companies in the transportation, manufacturing, funeral services, medical, retail, sports, media and technology industries. Notably, prior to transitioning into his current corporate practice, he spent seven years as a trial attorney focused primarily on commercial and complex product liability matters. Franklin now utilizes those skills for the benefit of his corporate clients, especially those in the manufacturing and service sectors.
Franklin’s diverse practice is also focused on advising clients in the sports and entertainment industry. He has handled the development and structuring of cutting edge marketing and advertising relationships, licensing and sponsorship agreements, celebrity endorsement contracts and stadium and arena naming rights projects. Prior to joining Eckert Seamans, Franklin handled several high-profile transactions, such as the drafting and negotiation of the multi-year naming rights and sponsorship agreement for the NFL stadium in Pittsburgh and the NHL arenas in Buffalo, Newark and Pittsburgh, as well as a sponsorship agreement between the PGA Tour and one of their largest sponsors.
In addition to his general corporate and sports and entertainment law practices, Franklin also represents owners and contractors in the negotiation and drafting of design and construction projects. In the region, his notable work has included important projects for the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, including the negotiation and drafting of the professional design and construction agreements for the $35 million Dinosaurs in Their Time project and the renovation of the Scaife Galleries. Franklin also assisted the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh with the design and construction agreements for the renovation of five branches in the City of Pittsburgh, including the Main Branch in Oakland.
Franklin earned his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and his undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond.
