Philanthropy

Pro Bono Cases (without charge)

Towing Company Bullying

I received a call from Paul at Paul’s Auto Repair in Freeport saying a customer, Richard, with severe cerebral palsy, had a problem with a towing company that was billing him $2,000 to tow a car that Richard sold to someone else.

Paul asked if Richard could speak with me. When I spoke with Richard, I immediately told him not to worry and that we would represent him.

Richard sold his car. He removed his license plates but didn’t remove the registration sticker on the window. The buyer then sold the car to his sister, who sold it to a third buyer. No one registered the car in New York. The last owner abandoned the car on the Southern State Parkway, which then had South Dakota plates. That’s when the towing company picked up the car.

It was easy for the towing company to find the name and address of the registrant on the New York registration sticker and send a bill. That’s what they did, and it was a bill for $2,000+!

After sending a letter to the towing company advising that we represent Richard and that he had no obligation to pay the bill and no authority to remove the car from their lot, they stopped billing Richard.

Luna

After watching a news story on News 12 and CBS about Linda Osborne, a veterinary tech who couldn’t get her dog, Luna, back from a dog shelter when her dog ended up in the shelter while she was hospitalized, Phil Franckel was enraged and called Linda offering to represent her for free. We filed an Order to Show Cause and a lawsuit to get her dog back. The shelter owner stated on TV, “There is no way that family is getting their dog back.” Luna was returned to her home four months after the ordeal began! Phil Franckel said this was the most gratifying case I have worked on.

Jennifer

Philip L. Franckel, Esq. represented Jennifer, who was charged with violating probation after a DWI conviction because she got engaged and moved out of New York State with her fiancé. Upon returning to New York, she voluntarily returned to see her probation officer, who violated her and ordered her to appear in Nassau County District Court. She was found guilty of violating probation and sentenced to 60 days in jail.

Phil Franckel filed a writ of habeas corpus in Nassau County Criminal Court (a higher court), arguing a unique legal theory of breach of contract. Jennifer was released immediately and did not have to serve her sentence. Since then, Jennifer has been alcohol and drug-free and represented the United States in Gordon Ramsay’s Triathlon in Great Britain.

Alma

Philip L. Franckel, Esq. represented Alma, who was a heroin addict with HIV and lost custody of her daughter so that her mother could get custody.

Renata

Philip L. Franckel, Esq. represented Renata, who was reported in national news as the Amy Fisher Clone (NY Daily News). Renata was a junior at Hofstra University who started an escort service employing students. She was arrested in Oceanside in Nassau County and charged with prostitution and promoting prostitution, a felony. Renata said she got the idea from watching the Amy Fisher movies on TV and thought it was legal because escort services were advertising on cable channel V, a public access channel, in New York City.

At her arraignment, there were many reporters and photographers, including Susan Forrest, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter from Newsday. The next morning, she awoke to many television trucks in front of her house. Philip Franckel convinced CBS, NBC, and ABC to drop the story, but Fox refused and aired the story on national TV. Every national TV talk show wanted her to appear on their show, and Jenny Jones even offered to pay a $5,000 appearance fee, but Philip Franckel refused.

Because of the national publicity on TV and in newspapers and because she had a prior felony conviction, the District Attorney’s Office was insisting that she serve time in jail. She was represented by a court-appointed attorney in a previous arrest and, unfortunately, pled guilty to a felony. It was unfortunate because I believe I would have had that felony charge reduced to a violation.

After 13 court appearances over 12 months, the felony charge was dropped, and a deal was reached for her to plead guilty to a reduced charge of a Class B misdemeanor (the lowest misdemeanor) with no time in jail.

Phil Franckel’s First Case

As a pilot in the flight program and an Aeronautical Engineering major at Dowling College, I used to fly in the cockpit on commercial airlines when traveling from New York to Paris and back (my parents had an apartment in Paris, and I was there often). But in the 1980s, domestic airlines no longer allowed me to fly in the cockpit, so I started flying on foreign airlines.

I was an attorney just admitted in New York in 1983 when returning to New York in the cockpit of an Air Pakistan 747. While conversing with the pilot, I mentioned that I just became an attorney and the pilot asked if I could help him. He had been charged by the FAA, alleging that he took the airman’s written exam for would-be pilots, which he denied. He explained that while earning a very good living in his country, he couldn’t afford to hire a New York lawyer and asked if I could charge him a reduced fee. Since I spent a lot of time in both the captain’s and first officer’s seats and was in the cockpit during the entire trip, I told him that I would be happy to represent him for free. At the FAA hearing, he was found not guilty.

Thank You Note For Helping With School Project

Free Advice

We have provided free advice to countless people in person and by phone.

Philip L. Franckel, Esq. was one of the highest-rated personal injury attorney experts answering questions for free on allexperts.com, now closed. 40 ratings and reviews of Attorney Phil Franckel from people who asked legal questions about accidents and injuries can be seen on our Reviews page.

Donations

Stony Brook University Hospital Child Life Services Fund

Long Island Toy Lending Center – allows children with disabilities and their families to have fun and learn.

Empire State Motorcycle Safety Education Program, Inc., a Not for Profit 501(c)3 organization aimed at promoting motorcycle awareness and motorcycle rider safety education.

Volunteering

Sgt. Philip L. Franckel volunteers hundreds of hours per year as a Nassau County Auxiliary Police Officer for over 40 years. Sgt. Philip L. Franckel is currently the Commanding Officer of the Communications Bureau, Auxiliary Police Section, Nassau County Police Department.

Philip L. Franckel, Esq. is a former Member of the Board of Directors of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, sworn in by New York State Chief Judge Judith Kaye.