Sam Franklin, Chris King and Harlan Prater Named to 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America
October 7, 2025
Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC partners Samuel H. Franklin, M. Christian King and Harlan I. Prater IV have been named to the 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America Guide.
Published annually, the guide recognizes top trial lawyers nationwide who represent clients in their most significant courtroom, investigative and administrative matters. Honorees are selected through Lawdragon’s journalistic research, submissions and vetting by leading litigators across the country.
Franklin has nearly 50 years of trial experience in high-profile cases nationwide. A co-founder of the firm, he has argued matters ranging from Alabama’s proration funding crisis on behalf of Auburn University to major smoking-and-health litigation for R.J. Reynolds and royalty disputes for ExxonMobil. Franklin is a Fellow and past president of the American College of Trial Lawyers and was recognized by The National Law Journal as an “Elite Boutique Trailblazer” for shaping Lightfoot’s innovative culture.
King brings decades of experience guiding Fortune 100 companies through class actions, derivative suits and other high-stakes disputes. His work spans financial services, manufacturing, and energy, and he is frequently retained to handle appeals in precedent-setting cases involving punitive damages. A Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, King also teaches appellate advocacy at the University of Alabama School of Law and serves as Lightfoot’s General Counsel.
Prater is widely regarded for his defense work in product liability, pharmaceutical, medical device, environmental and business litigation. His career includes serving as defense counsel in Alabama’s largest and longest-running trial, as well as securing defense verdicts in cases with millions at stake across the Southeast. Prater is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the American Board of Trial Advocates, and has been recognized by Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation and Best Lawyers.
Founded in 2005, Lawdragon is a New York-based legal media company known for its respected editorial features and guides to the nation’s leading lawyers.
