Francis practices primarily corporate and commercial litigation, emphasizing the representation in high-stakes disputes of:
- both public and privately held corporations and other entities
- members of boards of directors
- stockholders
- members or managers of LLCs or other alternative entities
Francis was the founding partner of the firm's Wilmington, Delaware office.
He has extensive experience in matters involving fiduciary duties and corporate governance and summary proceedings under the Delaware General Corporation Law. Delaware Today magazine selected him as one of the “Best Lawyers in Delaware.”
Francis created and maintains the “Delaware Corporate and Commercial Litigation Blog” – http://www.delawarelitigation.com - where he summarizes decisions of Delaware’s Chancery Court and Supreme Court.
Francis is on the firm's Finance Committee and is the former co-chair of the firm's E-discovery Committee. He also uses his skills as a trial attorney and his corporate background to provide counsel to the construction industry.
Francis was the Managing Partner of the Wilmington office of a regional law firm. He has a strong leadership background, including service as:
- legislative counsel for the State House of Representatives, 1994–98, writing legislation and testifying before the State General Assembly
- assistant treasurer of the State Bar Association
- Steering Committee member, Superior Court Trial Practice Forum
- Finance Committee member, Gov. Ruth Ann Minner’s successful re-election campaign, 2004
- candidate for State Representative
At Widener University School of Law, Francis was the Managing Editor of the law review, The Delaware Journal of Corporate Law, and was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society.
Francis is a certified mediator for the Delaware Superior Court as well as the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware and is often chosen as an arbitrator. He was on the committee that published the first standard jury instructions for civil cases in the Delaware Superior Court.
Additionally, Francis is:
- a former editor of the newsletter of the American Bar Association's Business and Corporate Litigation Committee of the Business Law Section
- a member of the Editorial Board of The Bencher, a national publication of The American Inns of Court
- a former co-chair of the Ethics Subcommittee of the American Bar Association's Business and Commercial Litigation Committee of the Litigation Section
Throughout his career, Francis has served the community in roles including:
- President, St. Thomas More Society
- member, Community Advisory Board, Wilmington News Journal
- board member, St. Edmond’s Academy
- board member, Glen Mills School
- board member, Delaware Trial Lawyers Assocaition
In honor of his father, Francis founded the Annual Francis G. Pileggi Distinguished Lecture in Law, sponsored by The Delaware Journal of Corporate Law and Widener University School of Law, which presents a nationally recognized expert to members of the Delaware Bench and Bar and forms the basis for a law review article.
Recent Delaware Corporate and Commercial Litigation Podcast
On this edition, Francis G.X. Pileggi of Fox Rothschild in Wilmington, Delaware discusses his blog delawarelitigation.com and several recent corporate and commercial cases decided by the Delaware Court of Chancery and Delaware Supreme Court. Copyright© 2009 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.
Listen to the Podcast
The Harvard Law School Corporate Governance Blog
Francis is a Guest Contributor for The Harvard Law School Corporate Governance Blog, http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/corpgov.
Francis participates in a monthly radio spot on WILM radio, 1450 AM in Wilmington. The spot runs on the first Saturday of each month, and provides listeners with an overview of recent decisions from the Delaware courts on corporate and commercial law.
• Bestowed the title of “Cavaliere” (Italian for “Knight”) by the President and Prime Minister of Italy, signifying membership in the Italian Order of Merit, for distinction in the arts, science, the law and/or public service, 2005.
• Bestowed the title of “Kentucky Colonel” by the Governor of Kentucky in recognition of public service.
• Distinguished Service Award, Delaware State Bar Association, New Lawyers Section, 1997.