Benckendorf & Benckendorf

What Benckendorf & Benckendorf does

Benckendorf & Benckendorf, P.C. is a privately-held professional corporation law firm founded in 1981 in Peoria, Illinois by Glenn E. Benckendorf and David A. Benckendorf. The firm provides legal services across four core practice areas: Business Law (entity formation, LLC and corporation services, banking and finance, tax planning, employment documents, non-compete agreements), Estate Planning (wills, trusts, probate, advance directives, complex estate planning, and guardianships), Real Estate (residential and commercial transactions, land use and zoning, title insurance, 1031 exchanges, landlord-tenant matters), and Litigation (general civil, business, real estate, and appellate). Its primary customer segments are small to mid-sized businesses, individuals and families seeking estate planning, real estate buyers/sellers/developers, and litigation clients across Central Illinois, including Peoria, Morton, Fulton, Woodford, Tazewell, Knox, and McLean counties and municipalities such as Bloomington, Normal, and Galesburg.

The firm operates through two physical offices — a Peoria headquarters at 101 NE Randolph Ave and a Morton office at 100 N Main St that specializes in real estate closings and title work — and reaches clients via direct consultation, phone, email, website contact forms, and chamber-of-commerce referrals. It maintains an affiliated wholly-owned operating subsidiary, Hometown Title, Inc., a title insurance company that provides owner's title policies, mortgage policies, construction escrows, and lien searches, enabling integrated real estate transaction services. The firm is staffed by five attorneys (two partners and three associates) and uses standard legal practice technology for case and document management with no proprietary platforms disclosed. Revenue is generated through professional-services fees structured as hourly rates or flat fees by matter type, with free initial consultations.

Marketing is conducted through the firm's professional website, Facebook, LinkedIn, and memberships in the Peoria Area and Morton Chambers of Commerce. Ownership has transitioned within the Benckendorf family across generations since 1981; the firm is currently led by Partner James W. Benckendorf (practicing since 1988) and Partner Lynne M. Binkele, with associates Emily D. Crutchfield (since 2020), Noah Benckendorf (since 2021), and Noah Dwyer (since 2024). The firm holds regional recognition including a Leading Lawyer designation from Law Bulletin Media awarded to James W. Benckendorf and a 2014 Morton Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Service Award.

Name

Benckendorf & Benckendorf

Legal name

Benckendorf & Benckendorf, P.C.

Website

https://benckendorf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Benckendorf & Benckendorf, P.C. is a privately-held, full-service law firm founded in 1981 in Peoria, Illinois, serving small/mid-sized businesses, individuals, and real estate clients across Central Illinois through four practice areas: business law, estate planning, real estate, and litigation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Direct Title Insurance Carriers (524127), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Title Insurance (6361)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Title Insurance & Underwriting (BPAJAOAA), Litigation & Dispute Valuation (damages, shareholder disputes) (FSAEAHAI)

Keywords

• Legal services
• Business law
• Estate planning
• Real estate law
• Civil litigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Peoria

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Business Law: Legal fees for business formation, corporate representation, LLC/Corporation services, employment documents, tax planning, and business transactions. Typically billed hourly or as flat fees for specific services.
2. Legal Services - Estate Planning: Legal fees for wills, trusts, estate planning, advance directives, probate, and guardianship services. Often structured as flat fees for document preparation.
3. Legal Services - Real Estate: Legal fees for residential and commercial real estate transactions, title insurance services (through affiliated Hometown Title, Inc.), land use/zoning matters, and property tax appeals.
4. Legal Services - Litigation: Legal fees for civil litigation representation in trial courts, federal courts, and appellate courts. Business, contract, real estate, and general litigation matters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Benckendorf & Benckendorf, P.C. is a Central Illinois full-service law firm providing legal representation across four practice areas: Business Law (entity formation, banking, finance, tax planning, employment documents, non-competes), Estate Planning (wills, trusts, advance directives, probate, guardianships), Real Estate (residential and commercial transactions, zoning, land use, title insurance coordination, 1031 exchanges), and Litigation (civil, business, real estate, and appellate). The firm also coordinates title insurance services through its affiliated entity Hometown Title, Inc.

Product overview

Benckendorf & Benckendorf, P.C. is a full-service law firm offering a unified portfolio of legal services organized around four core practice areas: Business Law (formation, LLCs, corporations, tax planning, employment, non-competes), Estate Planning (wills, trusts, probate, guardianships), Real Estate (transactions, zoning, title insurance, exchanges), and Litigation (general, business, real estate, appellate). The firm also provides access to Hometown Title, Inc., an affiliated title insurance company owned by a senior partner, which handles title insurance needs related to real estate transactions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Law

Named customers4 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

One partnership is on record.

• Hometown Title, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHometown Title, Inc. is an affiliated title insurance company owned by a senior partner at Benckendorf & Benckendorf. The company provides title insurance services, owner title policies, mortgage policies, construction escrows, and lien searches for the law firm's real estate clients. This affiliation allows the firm to offer comprehensive real estate services including title insurance, transaction closing, and related services. Noah Benckendorf also serves as Associate Council at Hometown Title, Inc.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Brown, Hay & Stephens, LLP: Long-established Springfield, Illinois firm with comparable business, real estate, estate planning, and litigation services. Competes in adjacent central-Illinois market with overlapping client needs.
• Sorling Northrup Attorneys: Springfield, Illinois-based full-service firm with a similar practice mix and central-Illinois client base. Operates in the same broader market region but from a different primary geography.

Broad incumbents

• Chicago Title Insurance Company: Major national title insurance carrier with extensive agent networks in Illinois. Competes with Hometown Title, Inc. for the same real estate closing and title insurance revenue stream.
• First American Title Insurance Company: National title insurance underwriter with agency relationships across Illinois, including Peoria. Direct comparable to the firm's affiliated Hometown Title, Inc. operation and a key competitor for real estate transaction flow.
• Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP: Larger national law firm with a Chicago presence and broad practice areas including business, real estate, and litigation. Represents the kind of scaled competitor the firm faces for higher-end regional mandates.

Direct peers

• Kavanagh Scully Sudow White & Frederick, P.C. Peoria-based law firm offering business law, real estate, estate planning, and litigation services to Central Illinois clients. Comparable in size, geographic footprint, and full-service practice model.
• Heyl, Royster, Voelker & Allen, P.C. Mid-size Peoria-based full-service law firm with comparable multi-practice depth (business, litigation, real estate, estate planning) and similar Central Illinois regional focus. Most directly comparable in scale, geography, and service mix.
• Miller, Hall & Triggs, LLC: Peoria-based regional firm with a comparable general-practice focus on business, real estate, and estate matters for Central Illinois clients. Similar size and practice orientation.
• Quinn, Johnston, Henderson, Pretorius & Cerulo, P.C. Peoria-based multi-practice firm with similar business, real estate, estate planning, and litigation capabilities. Direct competitor for the same client base in Central Illinois.
• Davis & Campbell, L.L.C. Peoria-based law firm serving Central Illinois with a similar mix of business, real estate, and litigation services, including healthcare and corporate practice areas. Comparable mid-size regional peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BenckendorfLawFirm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/benckendorf-&-benckendorf-p-c-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Benckendorf & Benckendorf