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John Frantz

Partner
John is an incredibly strategic, intelligent lawyer and a thoughtful, insightful leader. He has an incredible ability to quickly discern the critical legal issues and facts and advise constructively on next steps. He is a careful listener and demonstrates a genuine interest in both the complex problems that his team brings and the individuals themselves.
— Client
New York
About

John is a business-centric leader with extensive regulatory knowledge at the crossroads of law and technology. He served as general counsel for a global business with more than $30B in annual revenue and has deep experience leading telecommunications regulatory compliance initiatives, navigating regulatory disputes, and negotiating complex commercial agreements, content licensing deals, and settlements.

As a litigator, John is equally adept at tough-minded advocacy and finding creative win-win solutions to complex disputes through relationship building, negotiation, mediation, and effective communication.

John is a strategic thinker with experience leading teams to resolve the most complex legal and policy issues. He has a deep understanding of client business needs and a finger on the pulse of constantly changing market conditions and global political challenges.

John served for a decade as general counsel of two new business divisions for a major American telecommunications company. He was a key member of the executive leadership team for each business and partnered with clients to design and implement strategies for revenue growth and innovative product development. John also served as Head of Corporate Litigation, Head of Patent Litigation, and a member of the antitrust and telecom regulatory teams at the same company. In those roles, he played a lead counsel role in a heavy caseload of litigation and government investigations involving regulatory, intellectual property, antitrust, contract, class action, real estate, and insurance matters.
Areas of FocusRegulatory and Government AffairsTechnologyTelecomsLitigation, Arbitration and Investigations
Bar admissionsVirginiaNew YorkDistrict of Columbia
CourtsSupreme Court of the United States

EXPERIENCE

  • Led legal team for a newly created business unit that provides mission-critical services to businesses and government customers (including 99% of the Fortune 500) in more than 120 countries with more than US$30 billion in annual revenue. Managed a high-performing team of more than 250 lawyers and legal professionals.
  • Facilitated numerous new product and business initiatives that generated significant revenue and scaled to millions of users —including mobile apps, video services, and telematics services —while ensuring compliance with all legal and regulatory obligations and protecting the company’s intellectual property.
  • Led a multi-year technology transformation program that saved millions, improved efficiency, and significantly enhanced employee satisfaction with complex business contracting systems. Closely involved in the evaluation of legal AI tools with a particular emphasis on contracting. 
  • Oversaw a team that supported the development of new wireless services with strategic partners, including negotiating agreements with major technology companies.
  • Created a robust compliance function that conducted extensive internal investigations and ensured compliance with new and evolving regulations, including FCC rules, customer disclosure requirements, and privacy and information security obligations. 
  • Spearheaded a comprehensive evaluation and restructuring of business, security, legal, and policy operations in high-risk international markets to mitigate risk while maintaining business continuity. Led a team that managed operations in Russia following the invasion Ukraine, ensuring compliance with rapidly changing laws, mitigating risk, and navigating complex customer requirements.
  • Managed team responsible for content licensing and negotiating the resolution of disputes with the largest content providers.
  • Led team that coordinated interactions with law enforcement across the company.
  • Secured a nine-figure recovery from a federal fund for damages suffered from the 9/11 attacks. Repaired damaged relationship with auditors and led the matter to a successful conclusion through collegial and detail-oriented interactions with government officials.
  • Initiated creative First Amendment litigation against a municipality for unlawfully withholding a franchise and delaying a billion-dollar market entry. Personally negotiated a successful resolution at court-ordered mediation that enabled the launch of services.
  • Oversaw a team that managed more than 50 patent cases with potential ten-figure exposure. Examined witnesses at trial, took and defended depositions, argued motions, and negotiated settlement of significant matters.
  • Procured millions of dollars in settlements and defense costs by enforcing vendor indemnification obligations.
  • Negotiated millions of dollars in litigation and settlement costs from insurers that initially denied claims.
  • Led litigation and won injunction against a competitor for false product comparison claims in a four-week trial. Employed novel technique for introducing evidence, endorsed by the judge in published opinion.
  • Created the company’s electronic discovery function and led initiatives to internalize work that saved millions.
 
Education
  • J.D, Harvard Law School, magna cum laude
    Executive Editor, Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy
  • B.A, Political Science, Boston College, summa cum laude
    Phi Beta Kappa
     

Pro Bono

John is a proactive community leader who established and led for 15 years a successful and widely recognized corporate pro bono program that serves hundreds of people in need every year. He has experience leading a committee that designs and implements scores of global volunteer opportunities annually focused on educating and mentoring youth, providing legal services to individuals and nonprofits and providing community service.

John participates in other extensive volunteerism and pro bono work, and consults with companies that are seeking to establish or expand their pro bono programs. 
 

Prior Experience

Worked at a top-ranking AmLaw 100 firm to represent major clients in trial-court litigation, appeals, and regulatory proceedings involving telecommunications law, antitrust, class action, product liability, regulatory, and intellectual property issues. Extensively involved in antitrust and regulatory reviews for telecommunications mergers. Drafted appellate briefs on behalf of an insurance client in a case that reversed the largest punitive damages award to date in Virginia history.

Served as a law clerk on the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
 

Memberships and Affiliations

  • Board of Directors of Pro Bono Partnership (2018–Present)
  • Advisory Board of New Jersey Law and Education Empowerment Project (2016–Present)
  • Board of Trustees of Gill St. Bernard’s School (2016–2022)
 

My latest insights

News

DLA Piper welcomes John Frantz to the Telecom Practice

7 January 2025 .2 minute read

Connect

Phone

+1 212 335 4795
(Work, New York)
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