Bassford Remele

What Bassford Remele does

Bassford Remele, P.A. is a Minneapolis-headquartered, mid-sized litigation and corporate law firm founded in 1882, making it the oldest top-25 law firm based in Minnesota. The firm employs 101–250 people across two offices — its headquarters at 100 South 5th Street in Minneapolis and a new Sioux Falls, South Dakota office opened in June 2025 — and operates across six primary practice areas: Business & Commercial, Construction & Real Estate, Labor & Employment, Professional Liability, Family/Trust/Estate, and Torts & Products Liability. Its client base spans Fortune 500 corporations, healthcare systems, banks and lenders, agribusinesses, general contractors, nonprofit organizations, and individual professionals, with the firm frequently serving as local and national counsel in state and federal courts.

The firm's core offering is direct attorney representation — not a technology product. Services are delivered through attorney-client engagements in litigation, transactional matters, and advisory work, with no proprietary platform, no disclosed AI/ML capability, and no patent portfolio. Its Professional Liability practice alone draws on nearly fifty years of experience defending licensed professionals (accountants, attorneys, healthcare providers, real estate agents), and its leadership bench includes attorneys with 30+ years of trial experience (e.g., John Holper, Norman Abramson).

Bassford Remele generates revenue through standard professional services fees — hourly rates, flat fees, or contingency arrangements depending on matter type — consistent with private law firm practice. It markets primarily through thought leadership content (The Work Week newsletter, Legal Foundations publications), CLE seminars and conference presentations, professional association leadership, and peer recognition (Chambers USA, Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Minnesota Legal 250). The firm is independently owned under a shareholder model with no disclosed external or private equity backing, and is led by President/Chair/COO Jessica L. Klander alongside a board that includes John Holper, Casey Marshall, and Kyle Willems.

Name

Bassford Remele

Legal name

Bassford Remele, P.A.

Website

https://bassford.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1882

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bassford Remele is a Minneapolis-based mid-sized law firm founded in 1882, offering litigation and transactional counsel across business, construction, employment, professional liability, family/trust/estate, and torts practice areas to Fortune 500 companies, healthcare systems, financial institutions, and other enterprise clients across Minnesota, South Dakota, and the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate & Commercial Law (BPAHAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Real Estate & Construction Law (BPAHAAAE), Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK)

Keywords

• Commercial litigation services
• Construction law practice
• Professional liability defense
• Labor employment counsel
• Trust estate litigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: Bassford Remele generates revenue by providing legal representation and counsel across its practice areas, including litigation, transactional, and advisory services. Fees are likely billed on an hourly rate, flat-fee, or contingency basis depending on the matter type, consistent with standard law firm billing practices.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bassford Remele is a full-service law firm providing legal representation and counsel across six primary practice areas: Business & Commercial, Construction & Real Estate, Labor & Employment, Professional Liability, Family Trust & Estate, and Torts & Products. The firm delivers both courtroom advocacy in state and federal courts and strategic advisory services to businesses, licensed professionals, and individuals.

Product overview

Bassford Remele is a full-service law firm offering comprehensive legal services across six primary practice areas: Business & Commercial (litigation, corporate, financial services, insurance, IP), Construction & Real Estate (disputes, contracts, transactions), Labor & Employment (counsel, litigation, ERISA), Professional Liability (malpractice defense for multiple professional categories), Family, Trust & Estate (planning, administration, litigation), and Torts & Products (complex litigation, product liability). The firm operates from Minneapolis, MN and Sioux Falls, SD offices, serving clients throughout Minnesota, South Dakota, and across the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business & Commercial Legal Services Comprehensive legal counsel to businesses of all sizes — from emerging ventures to established corporations and Fortune 500 companies — covering complex litigation, corporate services, financial services, local counsel, insurance coverage, intellectual property, and trust & estate litigation throughout Minnesota, South Dakota, and across the United States.
• Construction & Real Estate Legal Services Legal representation for general contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers, owners, and design professionals in disputes involving commercial and residential projects, including litigation, contract formation, land use, title disputes, liens, and regulatory matters.
• Labor & Employment Legal Services Strategic counsel for employers on compliance, workplace policies, investigations, risk management, employment litigation, ERISA, executive compensation, labor relations, NLRB matters, and restrictive covenants.
• Professional Liability Legal Services Defense of licensed professionals including accountants, medical providers, lawyers, real estate agents, long-term care facilities, and other professionals in malpractice, liability, licensing board, and ethics matters.
• Family, Trust & Estate Legal Services Counsel and advocacy in family law matters (divorce, custody, support), estate planning, wills and trusts, trust and estate administration, and trust and estate litigation for individuals, families, fiduciaries, and corporate trustees.
• Torts & Products Liability Legal Services Complex business disputes and product liability defense including antitrust, appeals, class actions, consumer protection, mass torts, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, fire and explosion, commercial motor vehicle, and equipment-related litigation for manufacturers, distributors, insurers, transportation companies, and other stakeholders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trial team obtained a defense verdict in a medical malpractice case (March 2026)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.

• Hennepin County Bar AssociationcoreOthersJessica Klander, Shareholder and President/Chair of the Board at Bassford Remele, serves as President of the Hennepin County Bar Association (HCBA), a leading professional bar organization in Minnesota. This leadership role provides visibility, professional community engagement, and influence within the regional legal profession.
• Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA)coreOthersAram V. Desteian serves as Chair of the MSBA Professionalism & Ethics Section, and multiple Bassford Remele attorneys participate in MSBA sections including Probate, Trusts and Estates, and Construction Law. The firm contributes to MSBA publications and conferences.
• ACA InternationalcoreOthersBassford Remele attorneys, particularly Jessica Klander, maintain a strong relationship with ACA International (the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals). Jessica serves on the insideArm Legal Advisory Board and presents regularly at ACA conferences. The firm co-hosts the 'In the Alphabet Soup with Bassford Remele' webinar series on the ACA platform.
• Associated General Contractors of MinnesotanotableOthersBassford Remele attorneys including John Holper and Kyle Willems work with the Associated General Contractors of Minnesota, presenting at Construction Summits, authoring industry forecasts, and providing legal guidance on construction law matters.
• Upper Midwest Employment Law InstitutenotableOthersSeveral Bassford Remele Labor & Employment attorneys serve as faculty at the Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, a premier regional employment law conference, enhancing the firm's visibility and reputation in employment law.
• International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC)notableOthersJessica Klander, Shareholder and COO, joined the International Association of Defense Counsel, a leading global organization of civil defense attorneys and corporate counsel, expanding the firm's network and professional standing internationally.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Robins Kaplan LLP: Minneapolis-based litigation-heavy firm with overlapping commercial litigation, torts, and class action practice. Strong comparable for Bassford Remele's Torts & Products practice and appellate work.
• Maslon LLP: Minneapolis mid-sized firm with overlapping litigation, employment, and business law practices. Direct comparable peer for the same regional enterprise clients.
• Dorsey & Whitney: Major Minneapolis-headquartered full-service firm with overlapping corporate, litigation, construction, employment, and trusts/estates practices. One of the closest direct competitors for the same regional and Fortune 500 accounts.
• Gray Plant Mooty: Mid-sized Minneapolis firm similarly offering a multi-practice mix including corporate, litigation, real estate, and employment. Comparable mid-market regional peer with similar headcount profile.
• Winthrop & Weinstine: Minneapolis-based mid-sized firm with adjacent practice areas in corporate, real estate, employment, and litigation. Comparable scale and client profile in the same local market.
• Stinson LLP: Minneapolis-headquartered full-service firm with comparable litigation, corporate, real estate, and employment offerings. Direct competitor for the same regional business clients.
• Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath: Minneapolis-rooted national firm with comparable practice breadth across litigation, employment, professional liability, and corporate work. Most directly comparable scaled competitor serving the same Fortune 500 and upper Midwest client base.
• Fredrikson & Byron: Minneapolis-based full-service firm with similar size, multi-practice structure, and deep regional client base. Competes head-to-head for corporate, litigation, employment, and construction matters in the same Minnesota market.

Emerging players

• Larkin Hoffman: Minneapolis-area mid-sized firm covering employment, business, real estate, and litigation. Smaller-scale regional peer competing for some of the same clients with overlapping service lines.
• Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson: Minneapolis-based litigation and professional liability boutique with overlapping malpractice defense and professional liability work. Niche peer in one of Bassford Remele's signature practice areas.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bassford-remele

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Bassford Remele