Franklin, Terrence M.

Gregorio A. Francis was born in the Panama Canal Zone, Republic of Panama in 1968. He moved to the United States in 1973 and was educated in the Orange County Public School System in Orlando, Florida. After graduating with honors from Oak Ridge High School, Mr. Francis earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from the University of Florida in 1991. He then earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida School of Law as a Virgil Hawkins Fellow. He also received writing and oral honors in Appellate Advocacy and was on the Dean's List. While pursuing his Juris Doctorate, Mr. Francis was inducted into the prestigious Florida Blue Key Leadership Honorary. He was also appointed as a justice on the Board of Masters (the highest Appellate Court for student disciplinary matters) rising to the level of senior presiding justice in 1994; member of the Fredrick Douglas Moot Court Team and Publishing Editor for the Umoja Law Journal.

Mr. Francis began his legal career in 1994 as an associate with a statewide defense firm specializing in medical malpractice defense, nursing home defense and municipal defense. In 1999, Mr. Francis was elevated to the level of partner and was responsible for managing four associates and a caseload of over 50 medical malpractice, nursing home and municipality defense cases.

In 2001, Mr. Francis joined the law firm of Morgan & Morgan, P.A. as a partner. He focuses his practice on medical malpractice matters, police misconduct, wrongful death and catastrophic personal injuries. As a result of Mr. Francis' extensive litigation, experience and trial skills, Mr. Francis was asked by famed trial attorney, Johnnie Cochran to join his national law firm as a partner and "bring a new level of justice to South Florida in 2004." From 2004-2006 he served as the co-managing partner of the Miami office of the "Cochran Firm". In 2006, Mr. Francis became a shareholder of Morgan & Morgan, P.A. -- Orlando, where he strives to seek JUSTICE for the "least of these" EVERY DAY.

In addition to his professional responsibilities, Mr. Francis is very active at the local and state level of the National Bar Association. He served as President of the Paul C. Perkins Bar Association from 2001 through 2003 and on the Executive Board of the Florida Chapter of the National Bar Association.

In the community, Mr. Francis volunteers his time to a number of local non-profit associations in Central Florida. Namely, he is a board member of the Nehemiah Educational and Economic Development Board, 100 Blackmen of America-Orlando Chapter, and Chairman of the Lake Apopka Investigatory Commission. Most recently, Mr. Francis has been appointed as General Counsel for the Connectional Lay Ministry of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, where he provides legal advice and counsel to their three million non-ministerial members.