- 1007 Ingleside Avenue Baltimore MD 21228
- 410.788.1124
- info@franklinlaw.us
Founder, President & CEO
Stephanie S. Franklin, Esq.
"Every child has a human right to healthy development, self-determination, and opportunity…they are justice and dignity for our children." – Stephanie S. Franklin, Esq.
Stephanie S. Franklin, Esq. is the Founder, President & CEO of the Franklin Law Group, P.C. Graduating from the University of Maryland – College Park with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law, for over thirty years Ms. Franklin has dedicated her professional career to social justice advocacy, with her most recent efforts focused on human rights issues.
Committed to equity, recognition, and dignity for all people, Ms. Franklin has dedicated her legal career to advocating for and beside marginalized groups – primarily focused on children, youth and women. During her nineteen-year tenure working with children and youth, Ms. Franklin has accomplished a great deal. She is a litigator; policy and legislative advocate; a human rights organizer and activist; facilitated legal empowerment workshops in prisons; trained judges, magistrates, attorneys, social workers and other professionals in the area of child welfare; is published on issues pertaining to the intersection of child welfare and criminal justice and the intersection and impact of education and human rights on Black African-descended girls; and was a radio programmer and host on social justice and human rights issues.
Ms. Franklin is a proven leader. She has designed and built (with staff support) an innovative law firm with creative programming that addresses the needs of marginalized children; was the first to raise the issue of the over-use of psychotropic drugs on African-American girls in foster care at the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, Switzerland - leading to the UN's Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) treaty committee mandating that the United States collect and share data on the rate that psychotropic drugs are being administered to Black children in foster care; was the lead organizer for the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent’s first-ever fact-finding mission to Baltimore; sat and is currently sitting on leadership committees within the US Human Rights Network; and was a Board Member of the Feminist Alliance for Rights (FAR) program with the Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers University.
Her leadership has earned her recognition awards by the Maryland Daily Record's Top 100 Women and Leadership in Law Awards and Maryland's Associated Black Charities Howard "Pete" Rawlings Award for Excellence in Public Policy for her work as the Director of the Baltimore City Family Recovery Program.
Franklin Attorneys
Marja K. Plater, Esq.
Supervising Attorney"Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public" -Cornel West
Ms. Plater received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hampton University and her Juris Doctor degree at American University – Washington College of Law. Ms. Plater has been an attorney with the Franklin Law Group, P.C. since 2014 and supervisor since 2017. She represents the Franklin Law Group, P.C. on the Coalition to Protect Maryland’s Children. Ms. Plater is dedicated to advocating for the civil rights of all and making a tangible difference in the lives of others.
Ann Singleton, Esq.
Staff Attorney"Whether one's special emphasis is global warming or child welfare, the cause is the same cause. And justice comes from the same place being human comes from: compassion." - Carl Safina
Ms. Singleton received her Bachelor of Arts in History at the College of Wooster and her Juris Doctor at the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri. She has over ten years experience providing legal representation to abused and neglected children in foster care. Ms. Singleton has been a staff attorney with the Franklin Law Group, P.C. since 2015. She believes that pursuing justice for children requires both knowledge and compassion.
Kristen Fon L. Lim, Esq.
Staff Attorney"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children." ― Nelson Mandela
Ms. Lim received her Bachelor of Arts in English at the College of William and Mary and her Juris Doctor degree at the University of Baltimore School of Law. She has been a staff attorney with the Franklin Law Group since 2015. Ms. Lim has been a lifelong advocate for children's rights and social justice.
Alisha Hall, Esq.
Staff Attorney"The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind." -Maya Angelou
Ms. Hall received her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice at Bowling Green State University and her Juris Doctor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Her research on education inequality and work with the Law and Leadership Institute earned her the 2012 Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorney’s Scholarship. She further developed her legal prowess through employment with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General and the Social Security Administration before joining the Franklin Law Group, P.C. in 2017.
Ashley Edwards, Esq.
Staff Attorney"Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice." - Nelson Mandela
Ms. Edwards received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Pre-Law, at Norfolk State University and her Juris Doctor at Western Michigan University's Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan. She has over seven years experience providing zealous advocacy for indigent children and adults. Having spent her first 6 years of practice as a criminal defense attorney, she joined the Franklin Law Group, P.C. in 2017 as a staff attorney, transferring her advocacy skills to the representation of abused and neglected children.
Franklin Support Team
Brandon Hite
Legal Assistant"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." -Mahatma Gandhi
Mr. Hite received his Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Delaware State University and his Master's of Art degree in Religious Studies and Christian Leadership from Hampton University. Mr. Hite has been with the Franklin Law Group, P.C. since 2011. He has been a youth pastor for ten years and has a passion for strengthening families and helping youth in the community, particularly in urban areas. He loves that the Franklin Law Group has a strong presence in the immediate community in conjunction with a global vision.
Steffanie McKee
Legal Assistant"The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them." -Ida B. Wells
Steffanie McKee joined the Franklin Law Group, P.C. in 2016. Ms. McKee has a background in administrative support, finance and management. She believes that children have the right to truth and strong advocacy to aid in their self-determination.