Mr. Franklin is a shareholder at Lee Smart, who concentrates his practice in insurance defense of legal malpractice claims, commercial litigation, and defense of business torts, including wrongful discharge, civil rights violations, and defamation. After attending the University of Washington, Mr. Franklin received his J.D. degree from the University of Washington Law School in December of 1966. Sam is an "AV" rated lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, its highest. He is a member of the Eastern and Western Districts of the U.S. Federal Court for the State of Washington and the Ninth Circuit. He is a member of the Washington State Trial Lawyer's Association, Defense Research Institute, the Washington Defense Trial Lawyers’ Association, and the Washington State Bar Association.