Beldock Levine & Hoffman

What Beldock Levine & Hoffman does

Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLP is a New York City boutique law firm founded in 1964 that specializes in civil rights litigation, representing individuals and classes in constitutional claims against police, government entities, and institutions. The firm is best known for its role as co-lead trial counsel in Floyd v. City of New York, which overturned the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy, and for its representation of the Eric Garner family ($5.9M settlement), members of the Exonerated Central Park 5, and the family of Nicholas Feliciano ($28.75M settlement, the largest single-plaintiff pre-trial civil rights settlement in New York State history). Beyond civil rights, the firm maintains secondary practice areas in employment discrimination, art and entertainment law, criminal defense, family law, mental health law, non-profit formation, real estate, and estate planning.

The firm operates as an independent limited liability partnership owned by its partners, with no private equity backing or parent company. It merged with Rankin & Taylor in June 2017, adding catastrophic injury and First Amendment protest defense capabilities. Business is generated almost entirely through referrals from civil rights advocacy organizations (ACLU, NYLPI, Communities United for Police Reform, Justice Committee), co-counsel arrangements with firms such as Ben Crump Law and Shearman & Sterling's pro bono practice, court appointments in class actions, and earned media from high-profile case outcomes. Revenue is case-driven and originates from hourly billing, contingency arrangements on qualifying civil rights matters, and court-assigned counsel compensation. The firm is headquartered at 99 Park Avenue in Manhattan and operates from a single location, while handling matters with national reach including recent First Amendment immigration cases in Vermont and Indiana.

The firm has roughly 10+ attorneys and 4 paralegals. Its partner bench includes Managing Partner Luna Droubi (J.D. New York Law School, 2011), Jonathan C. Moore (partner since 2006), David B. Rankin, Marc A. Cannan, and Cynthia Rollings (partner since 1982), supported by associates and of-counsel attorneys. The firm has earned Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent status since 2003 and consistent Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America recognition, and sustains its pipeline through the Myron Beldock Civil Rights Fellowship launched in 2018.

Name

Beldock Levine & Hoffman

Legal name

Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLP

Website

https://blhny.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLP is a New York City boutique law firm founded in 1964, specializing in civil rights litigation against police and government entities, representing individual plaintiffs and classes in landmark constitutional cases including Floyd v. City of New York and the Eric Garner matter.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Rights Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM), Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK)

Keywords

• Civil rights litigation
• Employment law services
• Criminal defense representation
• Constitutional law practice
• Wrongful conviction advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Civil Rights Litigation Services: Legal services for civil rights cases including police misconduct, wrongful convictions, First Amendment violations, and employment discrimination. Revenue generated through attorney hourly billing, contingency fees in qualifying cases, and flat fees for specific matters. Class action litigation often operates on contingency or assigned counsel basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLP is a New York City boutique law firm providing legal services across nine practice areas: civil rights litigation, employment law, art and entertainment law, family law, mental health law, criminal defense, non-profit formation and maintenance, real estate, and estate planning and administration. The firm represents individual plaintiffs and class actions in police misconduct, constitutional violations, employment discrimination, wrongful convictions, and First Amendment matters. Services are delivered through attorney-client engagements with fees structured as hourly billing, contingency arrangements, or flat fees depending on case type.

Product overview

Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLP is a boutique New York City law firm offering legal services across multiple practice areas. The firm operates as a unified legal practice rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, providing civil rights litigation, employment law, criminal defense, family law, mental health law, art and entertainment law, non-profit formation, real estate, and estate planning services. The firm is recognized for high-impact civil rights cases including police misconduct litigation, wrongful conviction claims, and First Amendment advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civil Rights Litigation

Quantifiable outcome

• $28.75 million settlement in Feliciano v. City of New York - largest single plaintiff pre-trial civil rights settlement in NY State history
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rankin & TaylorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2017BLH merged with Rankin & Taylor, a premier litigation firm with strong focus on civil rights and constitutional cases, expanding the firm's capabilities and team.
• Fisher & Byrialsen LLPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel relationship in Renay Lynch wrongful conviction case, combining civil rights expertise with firm's litigation capabilities.
• Newirth Linehan PLLCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel partnership in civil rights action for Renay Lynch exoneration case.
• Rickner PLLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing co-counsel relationship in Rikers Island class action litigation and other civil rights cases including marijuana policy lawsuit.
• Law Office of Christopher H. FitzgeraldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel in class action lawsuit on behalf of Rikers Island prisoners.
• Aboushi Law Firm PLLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with Tahanie Aboushi's firm on civil rights cases including NYPD hijab policy challenge and Accuracy in Media doxxing case.
• Ben Crump LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel partnership in historic Malcolm X lawsuit against government alleging FBI, CIA, and NYPD conspiracy.
• People's Law OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel partnership in Malcolm X civil lawsuit against government agencies.
• Shearman & Sterling LLPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPro bono partnership in mental health crisis response class action, with Shearman leading the firm's pro bono representation.
• Marashi LegalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel partnership in class action for failing to provide safe non-police response to mentally disabled New Yorkers.
• New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading civil rights organization leading coalition lawsuit on mental health crisis response; BLH provides legal expertise on civil rights aspects.
• Cyrus D. Mehta Partners, PLLCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel in Mohsen Mahdawi immigration case.
• Martin Delaney & Ricci Law GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel in Mohsen Mahdawi immigration detention case.
• CLEARminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in Mohsen Mahdawi immigration case legal team.
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational ACLU and ACLU of Vermont co-counsel in Mohsen Mahdawi First Amendment case against immigration detention.
• ACLU of IllinoisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel in Salah Sarsour ICE detention First Amendment case.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Milbank LLP: Large global law firm with a notable pro bono civil rights and First Amendment practice (including co-counsel relationships with civil rights boutiques); represents the broad-incumbent peer category that competes for high-profile civil rights mandates at a different scale.

Direct peers

• Weitz & Luxenberg PC: NYC-based plaintiffs' firm with mass tort and civil rights practices; comparable in NYC boutique scale and overlap in civil rights / wrongful death work relevant to BLH's Feliciano-type cases.
• Wigdor LLP: NYC employment and civil rights boutique focused on workplace discrimination, harassment, and whistleblower matters — directly overlapping BLH's employment discrimination practice area and client type.
• Sanford Heisler Sharp LLP: National employment, civil rights, and human rights litigation firm with strong individual-plaintiff practice and class actions; comparable to BLH in employment discrimination and civil rights focus, with broader geographic reach.
• Outten & Golden LLP: NYC employment law boutique representing individuals in discrimination, retaliation, and executive transition matters; directly comparable in size, geography, and employment discrimination practice.
• Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP: NYC boutique litigation firm with a comparable civil rights, constitutional, and class action practice; was co-counsel with BLH on Floyd v. City of New York, making it the most directly comparable peer in scope and case portfolio.
• Levy Konigsberg LLP: NYC firm focused on civil rights, wrongful conviction, and catastrophic injury matters; directly comparable to BLH's wrongful death, police misconduct, and institutional accountability work.
• The Cochran Firm: National civil rights and catastrophic injury firm; BLH has a documented partnership with Ben Crump on the Malcolm X lawsuit, indicating direct overlap in marquee civil rights representation.
• Katz Marshall & Banks LLP: Boutique plaintiff-side employment law firm specializing in discrimination, whistleblower, and civil rights matters; comparable to BLH's employment discrimination and civil rights docket.

Emerging players

• Neufeld Schack & Associates PLLC: Smaller civil rights boutique active in police misconduct and institutional abuse cases; overlapping practice focus with BLH but at a smaller scale and more limited geographic presence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Beldock Levine & Hoffman