What Blethen Berens does

Blethen Berens is a private, full-service law firm serving Southern Minnesota from two offices in Mankato and New Ulm. The firm traces its lineage to Blethen, Gage and Krause (founded 1896 in Mankato) and Berens, Rodenberg and O'Connor (founded 1927 in New Ulm), which merged in July 2018. It currently operates with 18 attorneys supported by paralegals and administrative staff, providing legal services across 14+ practice areas including agricultural law, business law, estate planning and probate, family law, real estate, civil litigation, employment law, government and nonprofit law, alternative dispute resolution, guardianship and conservatorship, landlord matters, insurance law, medical and professional malpractice, and personal injury and wrongful death.

The firm monetizes through traditional legal fee structures — hourly billing, flat-rate fees for predictable matters (e.g., estate planning documents), and contingency arrangements where applicable. Beyond core legal services, Blethen Berens operates two wholly-owned ancillary subsidiaries: Blethen Berens Title Services (title insurance and closing coordination underwritten by Old Republic Title and First American Title) and Blethen Exchange (Qualified Intermediary services for Section 1031 tax-deferred property exchanges). Technology consists of standard legal practice tooling for title searches, document and case management, and IOLTA trust account administration — no proprietary platform or AI capabilities are disclosed.

Go-to-market is community-led and relationship-driven: the firm relies on direct attorney-client engagement, referrals from existing clients and professional networks, board participation in local organizations (Greater Mankato Growth, YMCA, United Way, Educare Foundation), regional law school recruiting, and a content marketing program via its Insights blog and email newsletter. Customer segments are highly distributed across individuals, families, and SMBs in agriculture, healthcare, construction, financial services, municipalities, and telecommunications, with no disclosed enterprise anchor accounts. Ownership is held by the attorney partners; the firm has no external parent, private equity, or venture capital involvement.

Name

Blethen Berens

Legal name

Blethen Berens

Website

https://blethenberens.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1896

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blethen Berens is a private, full-service law firm serving Southern Minnesota from offices in Mankato and New Ulm, with 18 attorneys covering 14+ practice areas plus ancillary title insurance and 1031 exchange services for individuals, families, and SMBs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

All Other Business Support Services (561499)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Estate Administration & Probate Services (FSAAANAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Notary & Signing Agent Services (Remote/Onsite) (BPAJAOAF)

Keywords

• Legal services
• Estate planning
• Family law
• Business law
• Real estate law

Headquarters

HQ city

Mankato

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Billing: Traditional legal fee structures including hourly billing, flat-rate fees for certain services, and contingency-based arrangements depending on case type and complexity.
2. 1031 Exchange Services: Qualified Intermediary services for tax-deferred property exchanges, handling exchange proceeds and process coordination.
3. Title Services: Title insurance policies, title searches, and closing services provided through partnerships with Old Republic Title and First American Title.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Blethen Berens is a full-service law firm providing legal counsel across practice areas including estate planning, business law, family law, real estate, litigation, employment law, agricultural law, personal injury, and government/nonprofit law. The firm also operates two ancillary service divisions: Blethen Berens Title Services (title insurance and closing coordination) and Blethen Exchange (Qualified Intermediary services for Section 1031 tax-deferred property exchanges). Services are delivered through two Minnesota offices in Mankato and New Ulm to individuals, families, businesses, and organizations in Southern Minnesota.

Product overview

Blethen Berens is a full-service law firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of legal services across multiple practice areas. The firm provides traditional legal services including Agricultural Law, Business Law, Estate Planning/Wills/Trusts/Probate, Family Law, Real Estate Law, Litigation, Employment Law, Government & Nonprofit Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Guardianship & Conservatorship, Landlord Matters, Insurance Law, Medical & Professional Malpractice, and Personal Injury & Wrongful Death. In addition to core legal services, the firm operates two ancillary service divisions: Blethen Berens Title Services (providing title insurance, title searches, and closing coordination for property transactions) and Blethen Exchange (acting as a Qualified Intermediary for 1031 tax-deferred exchanges). The firm serves clients from two Minnesota offices in Mankato and New Ulm.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agricultural Law Legal services addressing the unique needs of farmers and agribusinesses, including land use, succession planning, environmental regulations, and contract disputes.
• Business Law Comprehensive business legal services including entity formation, commercial litigation, contract disputes, mergers and acquisitions, and governance matters.
• Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts & Probate Legal services for creating wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care directives, estate administration, and probate court processes.
• Family Law Legal services including divorce, custody, child support, adoption, prenuptial agreements, and collaborative law for family matters.
• Real Estate Law Legal services for residential and commercial real estate transactions, including purchases, sales, leasing, title issues, and closings.
• Litigation Civil litigation services including business disputes, estate and trust litigation, construction litigation, and personal injury matters.
• Employment Law Legal services for employers including workplace policies, discrimination claims, wrongful discharge, wage compliance, and employment litigation.
• Government & Nonprofit Law Legal services for nonprofit organizations and government entities including compliance, governance, and formation matters.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution Mediation and arbitration services using Rule 114 Qualified Civil and Family Law Mediators to resolve disputes outside of traditional litigation.
• Guardianship & Conservatorship Legal services establishing court-appointed decision makers for incapacitated individuals, including guardians for personal decisions and conservators for financial matters.
• Landlord Matters Legal services for residential and commercial landlords including tenant issues, lease drafting, and low-income housing matters.
• Insurance Law Legal services related to insurance coverage disputes, claims, and litigation involving various insurance policies.
• Medical & Professional Malpractice Legal representation in medical practice and professional malpractice cases, including wrongful death claims.
• Personal Injury & Wrongful Death Legal representation for individuals injured due to negligence, including auto accidents and wrongful death claims.
• Blethen Berens Title Services Title insurance and closing services including title searches, title commitments, title opinions, closing coordination, and escrow services for property transactions, with policies underwritten by Old Republic Title and First American Title.
• Blethen Exchange 1031 Exchange Qualified Intermediary services for tax-deferred property exchanges under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code, including delayed, reverse, simultaneous, and improvement exchanges.

Quantifiable outcome

• Family law team with over 50 years of combined experience
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Old Republic Title Insurance CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlethen Berens Title Services provides title insurance policies underwritten by Old Republic Title Insurance Company. They coordinate all closing services, perform title searches, provide owners and lenders policies of title insurance, and handle title defect identification and cure.
• First American Title Insurance CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlethen Berens Title Services provides title insurance policies underwritten by First American Title. Jeremy Berg is a licensed title insurance agent for First American Title Insurance Company.
• Old Republic TitlecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJared Koch is a licensed title insurance agent for Old Republic Title and is an experienced 1031 Exchange Qualified Intermediary and advisor to clients in the Exchange process.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Dykema Gossett PLLC: Large multi-state law firm with a significant Minneapolis presence offering full-service legal coverage that overlaps with Blethen Berens' practice areas; competes primarily on larger matters and broader geographic reach.
• Winthrop & Weinstine PA: Minneapolis-based full-service law firm with business, real estate, and litigation practices that overlap with Blethen Berens; operates at significantly larger scale across a wider Minnesota footprint.
• Nilan Johnson Lewis PA: Minneapolis-based full-service firm with employment, business, insurance, and litigation practices overlapping Blethen Berens' offerings; larger scale and broader geographic reach make it an incumbent competitor.
• Husch Blackwell LLP: Major national full-service firm with a Minneapolis office offering business, real estate, employment, and litigation practices comparable to the anchor; competes at significantly larger scale with deeper resources.
• Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP: Large full-service law firm with a Minneapolis presence offering comprehensive legal services across multiple practice areas that overlap with Blethen Berens; serves as a broader incumbent competitor in the Minnesota market.
• Briggs and Morgan PA: Long-standing Minnesota full-service law firm with overlapping practice areas in business law, litigation, and real estate; competes with Blethen Berens for Minnesota-based clients seeking full-service counsel at broader scale.
• Moss & Barnett PA (now part of Lathrop GPM): Historic Minneapolis full-service firm with business, real estate, and estate planning practices comparable to Blethen Berens; serves as a broader Minnesota incumbent after merger into Lathrop GPM.

Direct peers

• Gislason & Hunter LLP: Mankato-based full-service law firm of comparable size serving southern Minnesota with overlapping practice areas including business law, real estate, estate planning, and litigation; the closest direct regional competitor.
• Maschoff Brennan Parker Jackman LLP: Mankato-based full-service law firm offering business law, litigation, estate planning, and real estate services; competes head-to-head for the same regional clients and SMB matters in southern Minnesota.
• Pemberton Sorlie LLC: Regional Minnesota law firm with offices across multiple markets offering full-service practice areas comparable to Blethen Berens, serving similar SMB and individual client profiles in Greater Minnesota.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BlethenBerens
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blethenberens

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Blethen Berens