JIM FRANCIS co-founded Francis Mailman Soumilas, P.C. in 1998 with the goal of creating a law firm dedicated exclusively to consumer rights litigation. Since then, he and the firm have consistently achieved ground-breaking results and cutting-edge legal rulings. He was trial and appellate counsel in Ramirez v. Trans Union, LLC, a case that obtained a record $60 million dollar verdict for a case brought under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. In 2009, Jim argued the seminal FCRA case of Cortez v. Trans Union, LLC before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. He has been appointed to serve as class counsel by federal courts all over the country in over 60 cases.
In 2004, Jim was the youngest lawyer to be ranked a Top 100 Superlawyer in Pennsylvania in Philadelphia Magazine and Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazine. He has been ranked in the Top 100 for Pennsylvania or Philadelphia many times since. In 2014, Jim was selected as one of a small group of national plaintiffs’ lawyers to be profiled in Law 360’s Titans of the Plaintiff’s Bar series. In the same year, he was awarded the Equal Justice Award by Community Legal Services of Philadelphia.
Jim regularly lectures for continuing legal education programs, law schools and community groups throughout the country, and has been a regular speaker for the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA) and National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) for over 20 years. He has appeared on various news programs including the Today Show and PBS NewsHour to discuss consumer-related issues. He was featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer’s biographical “Question & Answer” segment in February of 2009.
Prior to forming Francis Mailman Soumilas, P.C. and after graduating from law school, Jim was an associate with Kolsby, Gordon, Robin, Shore & Rothweiler in Philadelphia.
Jim currently serves on the Board of Directors of NACA.
Education
Temple University Beasley School of Law, J.D. 1995, President-Student Bar Association, 1995 Wapner, Newman & Wigrizer, P.C. award for excellence in civil trial advocacy; award for outstanding Oral Advocacy;
Muhlenberg College, B.A., cum laude, 1992
Admissions
Pennsylvania and New Jersey state courts
United States Courts of Appeal for the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth and Eleventh Circuits
United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of Michigan, Northern District of Oklahoma
United States Supreme Court
