Portnoff Law Associates, Ltd.

What Portnoff Law Associates, Ltd. does

Portnoff Law Associates, Ltd. (PLA) is a private Pennsylvania-based law firm founded in 1989 in Paoli by the father-daughter team of Alan Portnoff and Michelle Portnoff. Since 1997, the firm has limited its practice exclusively to the collection of delinquent real estate taxes and municipal utility fees on behalf of Pennsylvania municipal governments. The firm serves over 200 municipalities, school districts, and municipal authorities across 30-32 Pennsylvania counties, with offices in King of Prussia (headquarters) and Allentown. Under Pennsylvania's Municipal Claims and Tax Liens Act, all costs of collection, including attorneys' fees, are assessed against the delinquent property owner rather than the municipality, creating a transaction-fee revenue model in which the firm recovers its costs directly from the debtor population.

PLA's operational infrastructure consists of a Property Owner Service Center web portal, a Balance Inquiry system (claims.portnoffonline.com), online payment processing through ACI Payments, Inc. (credit/debit) and PaySimple (ACH), and a Hardship Program that offers extended payment terms to owner-occupants experiencing financial difficulties. The firm also provides third-party services for mortgage and title companies (payoff information) and publishes a Free and Clear Sheriff Sales Calendar. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, with marketing through industry association memberships (PASBO, PSATS, PMAA, PSAB, PSBA, PA-GFOA), a semi-annual newsletter (The Portnoff Reporter), educational articles in industry publications, and trade show participation.

The business is led by Michelle R. Portnoff as President following the February 2019 passing of co-founder Alan B. Portnoff. The leadership team includes Kevin H. Buraks (Managing Attorney, client development and bankruptcy/litigation), Jason J. Leininger (Managing Attorney of Collection Services), Jeffrey C. Schwartz (in-house appellate counsel who has handled landmark Commonwealth and Supreme Court cases), and Robert P. Daday (Senior Litigator heading the writ of execution department). The firm remains founder-owned with no institutional capital, operates approximately 75 employees, and reported no publicly disclosed revenue, funding rounds, or M&A activity.

Name

Portnoff Law Associates, Ltd.

Legal name

Portnoff Law Associates, Ltd.

Website

https://portnoffonline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Portnoff Law Associates is a Pennsylvania law firm specializing in the collection of delinquent real estate taxes and municipal utility fees for over 200 municipalities, school districts, and municipal authorities across 32 Pennsylvania counties, recovering costs via transaction fees assessed against delinquent property owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Collection Agencies (56144), Title Abstract and Settlement Offices (541191)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Collections Support (Pre-Lit, Litigation Admin, Judgment Recovery) (BPAAAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Legal Collections & Litigation Support (Judgments, Garnishments) (FSAKAJAD)

Keywords

• Municipal tax collection
• Delinquent real estate
• Debt collection services
• Legal collection services
• Pennsylvania municipalities

Headquarters

HQ city

King Of Prussia

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Delinquent Tax Collection Legal Services: PLA collects delinquent real estate taxes and municipal utility fees for Pennsylvania municipal governments. Under Pennsylvania law, the costs of collection including attorneys' fees are assessed against the delinquent property owner rather than the municipality, providing revenue for the firm while incentivizing timely payment. The firm handles all telephone calls, payment arrangements, bookkeeping, and reporting for clients.
2. Payment Processing Fees: Credit card and debit card convenience fees are charged by ACI Payments, Inc. and passed through to property owners. ACH payments are accepted at no additional cost. Neither PLA nor its municipal clients receive any portion of these convenience fees.
3. Lien Filing and Enforcement: PLA files liens against properties to secure claims for municipal clients. If a lien is filed, fees and court costs may be incurred that increase the balance due, and interest as permitted by law accrues during payment plans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Portnoff Law Associates, Ltd. is a Pennsylvania law firm that specializes in collecting delinquent real estate taxes and municipal utility fees on behalf of municipalities, school districts, and municipal authorities. Under Pennsylvania law, the firm recovers its collection costs, including attorneys' fees, by assessing them against the delinquent property owner rather than the municipality. PLA delivers this service through a combination of legal expertise, telephone and payment support, bookkeeping and reporting, and an online portal for property owners to view balances, make payments, and apply for hardship programs.

Product overview

Portnoff Law Associates operates a unified legal services platform focused exclusively on delinquent real estate tax and municipal utility fee collection for Pennsylvania municipalities. The core offering combines a Property Owner Service Center (web portal with Balance Inquiry, Online Payment Processing via ACH and credit/debit cards, and Hardship Program applications), alongside dedicated Third-Party Resources for mortgage and title companies (payoff services and sheriff sale calendar). All services are delivered through the company's proprietary web infrastructure serving over 200 municipal clients across 32 Pennsylvania counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Property Owner Service Center Web portal for property owners to access account information, make payments, and apply for hardship programs. Provides balance inquiry, online payment options (ACH, credit/debit), and hardship applications.
• Balance Inquiry System Online database allowing property owners to check unpaid balances. Requires county, tax parcel number, and PLA file number to access. Options to print and create PDF versions of balances available.
• Online Payment Processing Digital payment platform accepting ACH, credit card, and debit card payments for delinquent accounts across 32 Pennsylvania counties.
• PLA Hardship Program Extended payment plans with flexible terms for owner-occupants experiencing financial difficulties. Administered according to guidelines established by taxing districts and municipalities.
• Mortgage and Title Company Services Payoff information services for unpaid municipal claims. Provides guaranteed statements via email and non-guaranteed information through registered account access to the Balance Inquiry system.
• Free and Clear Sheriff Sales Calendar Calendar of court-ordered property sales where properties are sold free and clear of all taxes, municipal claims, mortgages, liens, judgments, and estates. Sales held by County Sheriff as part of monthly Sheriff's Sale.
• Delinquent Tax and Municipal Fee Collection Services Core legal service for Pennsylvania municipalities, school districts, and municipal authorities providing end-to-end collection of delinquent real estate taxes and municipal utility fees, including telephone handling, payment arrangements, bookkeeping, reporting, and lien filing. Costs of collection including attorneys' fees are assessed against the delinquent property owner under Pennsylvania law.

Quantifiable outcome

• Collected nearly a fifth of outstanding levee fees for Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority in a short period of time
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Windham Professionals: Large diversified debt collection agency serving government, utility, and commercial clients. Comparable to PLA as a municipal/government-facing collections provider, but operates at significantly greater scale and broader geography.
• NCO Financial Systems: Large, diversified ARM and debt collection provider with government and utility verticals. Comparable as a municipal-facing debt collection competitor, though PLA is materially smaller and more legally specialized.
• CBE Group: Major U.S. receivables management and debt collection firm serving utilities, government, and financial clients. Adjacent to PLA's municipal collections practice, but with broader scope and a more horizontal servicing model.

Direct peers

• McCreary, Veselka, Bragg & Allen, P.C. Texas-based law firm specializing in the collection of delinquent property taxes, municipal utility fees, and special assessments for cities, counties, and special districts. Directly comparable to PLA in niche, business model, and reliance on state-specific collection statutes.
• Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP: Largest U.S. law firm focused on delinquent property tax and municipal revenue collection across multiple states. Highly comparable to PLA as a legal services firm serving municipal and school district clients with similar fee structures and statutory expertise.
• Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins & Mott, L.L.P. Multi-state law firm providing delinquent tax collection, bankruptcy, and litigation services to Texas and other municipal clients. Comparable to PLA in operating model, fee structure, and reliance on statutory municipal collection authority.
• Harshaw & Company: Specialized firm providing municipal revenue and property tax collection services. Comparable to PLA in targeting municipal and county governments with similar legal collection workflows.

Emerging players

• Realius: Property tax and assessment software platform that enables counties and municipalities to manage delinquency in-house. Comparable to PLA as it competes for the same municipal outsourcing decision, but from a software/SaaS angle rather than legal services.
• TaxMasters: Tax resolution and collections firm serving both consumer and institutional clients. Partial overlap with PLA in delinquent tax handling, though focused more on individual taxpayer representation than municipal B2B contracts.

Regional players

• Berkheimer Tax Innovations: Pennsylvania-headquartered tax administration and outsourced collection provider serving municipalities and school districts. Highly comparable regional peer operating in the same state with overlapping client base, though broader in scope (includes earned income tax and business privilege tax).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/portnoff-law-associates-ltd-

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Portnoff Law Associates, Ltd.