Practice Areas
- Oil and Gas
- Civil Litigation
- Title Disputes
- Real Estate
- Eminent Domain/Condemnation
- Probate
- Estate Planning
- Tax-Exempt/Nonprofit Organizations
Background
Keith was born in Laredo, grew up in Cotulla, and has practiced as an attorney for over nine years in courts throughout south and central Texas. He assists clients in both litigation and transactions in a variety of areas, including oil and gas, title disputes, real estate, and condemnation, with a particular focus on land and mineral owner representation. Keith also handles other areas of civil litigation, probate, estate planning, and issues involving nonprofit organizations. Before co-founding Martinez, Franklin & Morales, PLLC, Keith practiced with Person, Whitworth, Borchers & Morales, LLP (2013-2019).
Education
Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Southern University – J.D., magna cum laude, 2013
- Thurgood Marshall Law Review – Executive Editor
Texas A&M University – B.S. Agribusiness, 2009
- Minor: Anthropology
Bar Admission
State Bar of Texas, 2013
Community Involvement
Laredo Area Community Foundation, Director/Past President
Dr. Lanse T. Fox Memorial Organization, President
Professional Associations & Memberships
Texas Bar Oil, Gas, and Energy Resources Law Section, Member
Laredo-Webb County Bar Association, Member
Publications & Speaking Engagements
Dos and Don’ts for Negotiating an Oil and Gas Lease; Texas Land & Mineral Owner Association Annual Meeting; San Antonio, Texas; October 11, 2018.
Ricardo E. Morales and Keith W. Franklin; The Commingling Doctrine & Horizontal Wells: Whose Burden is it Anyway?; State Bar of Texas 36th Annual Advanced Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Law Course; Houston, Texas; September 20-21, 2018.
Commingling: The Concept and the Controversy; Profitable Mineral Management Breakfast Series; San Antonio, Texas; Feb. 20, 2018.
Title Issues Inside your Fence Line? How Texas adverse possession law can be used to clear up ownership questions on land and minerals; Profitable Mineral Management Breakfast Series; San Antonio, Texas; June 7, 2016.
Baldemar Garcia, Jr., Ricardo E. Morales, & Keith W. Franklin; Trespass, Subsurface Trespass and the Texas Supreme Court; State Bar of Texas 33rd Annual Advanced Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Law Course; Houston, Texas; Oct. 1–2, 2015.