Charles R. Franklin

Charles Franklin counsels clients on insurance claims, coverages and disputes and has concentrated his practice in general civil litigation and insurance related work, including both presentation and defense of first and third party matters. He has often served as a “neutral” or an independent arbitrator being appointed by both policyholders and insurance companies. Charlie also represents professional real estate appraisers and property inspectors in malpractice claims, lawsuits and in disciplinary hearings. Admitted to practice in Illinois, Charlie is a member of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and Federal Trial Bar.

Charlie has:

• Successfully argued before the Illinois Supreme Court on limitations of liability and safety deposit box obligations affirming the Appellate Court’s reversal of a trial court judgment (Jewelers Mutual v. Firstar Bank);
• Counseled numerous appraisers in matters before the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
• Following a federal jury trial, obtained a Judgment as a Matter of Law (JNOV) on behalf of his client, on a multimillion dollar insurance fraud case (Office Furnishings v. American Family);
• Obtained a summary judgment on behalf of a policyholder and was awarded attorneys fees under Section 155 of the Illinois Insurance Code (Stepkowski v. Constitution Insurance Co.);
• Obtained a policy limits settlement on behalf of a client bank for a Gulfport, Mississippi, beach motel destroyed in Hurricane Katrina after an initial denial of liability; and
• Assisted clients in obtaining restitution and recovery from significant fraud, forgery, embezzlement losses against financial institutions, brokers and others, and for stolen stock certificates, including a medallion signature guarantee STAMP claim;

Charlie was appointed to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado by President Gerald R. Ford. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from the University of Michigan, before graduating with a Juris Doctor from the University of Miami (Florida) School of Law. While at the University of Miami, Charlie served as an associate editor and research editor of the University of Miami Inter-American Law Review. He is AV Preeminent rated with Martindale-Hubbell.

Charlie is a past president of the Casualty Adjusters Association of Chicago and is a founding member of the Claims Association of Greater Chicago. He is a frequent speaker to groups such as the Appraisal Institute, the Adjusters Association of Illinois, the Illinois Coalition of Appraisal Professionals and several private activities and clients on appraisal issues, insurance coverages and claims, workplace and liability issues.

Charlie grew up overseas, spending his formative years in Southeast Asia, attending international schools in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Bangkok, Thailand; and Jakarta, Indonesia. He is a licensed soccer coach and, for many years, has been active coaching various youth sports including soccer, basketball, baseball and football. Charlie is extremely proud that fourteen kids he has formerly helped coach at various ages have gone on to play sports at the intercollegiate level.