Francis “Frank” X. Taney, Jr. is the principal of Taney Legal LLC. Frank brings to bear for his clients broad and deep legal experience in both litigation as well as transactional and counseling.
On the litigation side, Frank is a seasoned trial lawyer and commercial litigator with 21 years’ experience in state and federal courts as well as in private arbitrations. He has taken more than 20 jury and bench trials and arbitrations to verdict or award as lead trial attorney, and has played substantial roles in numerous other trials and arbitrations, including international arbitrations. Frank’s substantive litigation focus has included, among other things, complex intellectual property, information technology, antitrust, securities law and construction matters, including putative multidistrict class actions. He has also represented numerous companies and executives in connection with regulatory actions and civil and white collar criminal investigations by state and federal agencies.
At the same time, Frank developed a sophisticated transactional licensing, contracting and counseling practice focusing on the information technology industry as well as other technology sectors. He has served as general outside counsel to well over 50 companies, with a heavy information technology industry focus but also including companies from numerous other industries and sectors. These companies have included, among many others, a public cyber charter school, a mutual insurance company, a software vendor offering software for public adjusters, a green energy producer, a robotics company and a real estate developer. In this role, he has worked hand in hand with companies, crafting and implementing the legal strategies necessary to protect and grow their businesses and to commercialize and exploit their technologies and related intellectual property.
Frank is a prolific author and public speaker on legal and business topics arising from the intersection of law and technology, including information security, e-discovery and intellectual property, as well as associated liability issues and risk management opportunities. He has been published and quoted in publications such as InformationWeek, Technology Times, Computer World, IT Professional and SmartBusiness Philadelphia. A few of Frank’s published works include Technology Transactions and Effective Litigation Management (Chapter), Inside the Minds: Technology Law Client Strategies (2007); Navigating the IT Outsourcing and Procurement Process (Chapter), CIO Wisdom II: More Best Practices – Harris Kern Enterprise Computing Institute (2006) and Securing the Whole Enterprise: Business and Legal Issues, (Article co-authored with Thomas Costello), IT Professional (2006).
Over the years Frank has received professional awards and recognitions on numerous occasions, including, among others, being named to the 2010 SmartCEO “Legal Elite” List, being named a 2008 Legal Intelligencer/Pennsylvania Law Weekly “Lawyer on the Fast Track”, and being named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer “Rising Star” from 2005-2007. His work on a virtual world technology case was featured in the documentary film “Life 2.0,” and he has also been a featured commentator on CNBC “Power Lunch” and Fox Business Network “Money for Breakfast” segments. In addition, Frank has served as a guest lecturer at the Pennsylvania State University, Drexel University, and the Widener University School of Law.
Frank obtained his Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1995, where he was Associate Editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. Frank obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Drew University in 1992, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Epsilon.
Frank is also deeply immersed in the regional entrepreneurial and technology communities, having served and continuing to serve the boards of numerous Philadelphia area non-profit entities serving these communities. Some of these entities include the Philadelphia Area New Media Association, Seed Philly, The American Society of Inventors, Nikola Tesla Science Foundation, and the Entrepreneurs’ Forum of Greater Philadelphia. Frank also conducts monthly pro bono office hours in support of both the Corzo Center for the Creative Economy at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts, as well as NextFab Studios, counseling entrepreneurs and inventors.
Frank is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the District of New Jersey, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Frank has also been admitted pro hac vice in numerous other jurisdictions. He is a member of the American, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Philadelphia Bar Associations.