Blanchard, Krasner & French

What Blanchard, Krasner & French does

Blanchard, Krasner & French (BKF) is a private professional corporation law firm headquartered in La Jolla, California, founded in 1992 by Robert W. Blanchard, Mark A. Krasner, and Alan William French (deceased 2000). The firm operates as a full-service legal practice across eight integrated practice areas: Business Law, Real Estate Law, Trust, Estate & Probate Law, Litigation, Family Law, Tax Law, Employment Law, and Appellate Practice. It employs 11-50 people with approximately 15-18 attorneys and is structured as an independent partnership with no private equity or external ownership; equity partnership was extended to John Whittemore and Jordan Ondatje in 2024.

BKF serves two primary client segments: privately held business owners in the La Jolla and greater San Diego region requiring integrated legal support across formation, financing, taxes, real estate, employment, litigation, and exit planning; and high-net-worth individuals and affluent families requiring estate planning, trusts, charitable giving, prenuptial agreements, and tax considerations. The firm also serves out-of-state and international clients on California and U.S. federal law matters, and retains multi-jurisdictional capability across Nevada, New York, and the District of Columbia. A previously opened Reno, Nevada office was closed around 2023.

The firm generates revenue through traditional professional services billing on a per-matter quote basis, with engagement terms spanning multi-year client relationships. Its only disclosed technology integration is the Clio online payment portal for client billing; the firm does not operate a software platform or proprietary product. Distribution is entirely direct through attorney consultations, and marketing relies on content marketing, social media, community involvement (e.g., USD School of Law scholarship, JDRF, Big Brothers Big Sisters), and professional networks including IR Global and LawPact. The firm has been recognized by Forbes/Statista (1% of America's Top Corporate Law Firms, 2019), Martindale-Hubbell (4.8/5 peer rating, 98% client recommendation), and La Jolla Village News (Best Attorney for 16 consecutive years for Mark Krasner).

Name

Blanchard, Krasner & French

Legal name

Blanchard, Krasner & French, APC

Website

https://bkflaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blanchard, Krasner & French is a private La Jolla-based full-service law firm offering business, real estate, trust/estate, litigation, family, tax, employment, and appellate legal services to San Diego-area business owners and high-net-worth individuals, operating with 15-18 attorneys since 1992.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Full-Service Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate & Construction Law (BPAHAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK), Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Business legal services
• Estate planning law
• Real estate law
• Litigation attorneys
• Family law services

Headquarters

HQ city

La Jolla

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Billing: Traditional law firm revenue through professional services billing. Services include business law, real estate law, trust and estate planning, litigation, family law, tax law, employment law, and appellate practice. Clients include privately held companies, high-net-worth individuals, and affluent families requiring comprehensive legal counsel.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Blanchard, Krasner & French is a full-service law firm delivering integrated legal counsel across eight practice areas — Business Law, Real Estate Law, Trust/Estate/Probate Law, Litigation, Family Law, Tax Law, Employment Law, and Appellate Practice. The firm operates a single-source model in which clients receive both business and personal legal representation through one trusted point of contact. Services are billed per engagement and delivered by partner-level attorneys in La Jolla, California, with multi-jurisdictional capability across California, Nevada, New York, and the District of Columbia.

Product overview

Blanchard, Krasner & French (BKF) is a full-service law firm operating as a single-source legal partner for San Diego-area business owners, high-net-worth individuals, and affluent families. The firm offers eight integrated practice areas: Business Law, Real Estate Law, Trust/Estate/Probate Law, Litigation, Family Law, Tax Law, Employment Law, and Appellate Practice. Rather than a software product, BKF's offering is legal services delivered through a 'cradle-to-grave' model where clients have one point of contact for both business and personal legal matters. The firm also offers Clio-powered online payment processing for client convenience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Law Legal services covering entity formation, mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, intellectual property, commercial contracts, and general counsel services for privately held companies in San Diego and beyond.
• Real Estate Law Legal services for acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, development, financing, and dispute resolution involving commercial and residential real estate transactions throughout California and across the country.
• Trust, Estate & Probate Law Estate planning, trust administration, probate, charitable giving, and legacy planning legal services for high-net-worth individuals and families.
• Litigation Civil and business litigation legal services including contract disputes, partnership disputes, real estate litigation, and trust and estate litigation.
• Family Law Legal services for divorce, premarital and marital agreements, spousal support, child support, and child custody, with particular focus on matters affecting business owners and high-net-worth families.
• Tax Law Corporate, property, income, and IRS tax matters including tax planning and controversy work for businesses and individuals.
• Employment Law Employer-side legal counsel covering compliance, hiring, workplace policies, and defense against employment-related claims.
• Appellate Practice Legal services for civil, business, and federal appeals including support for trial counsel and original appellate briefing.
• Remote Estate Planning Services End-to-end online estate planning service enabling clients to complete wills and related documents entirely online, from initial consultation through signing and notarization, launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Online Payment Portal (Clio) Secure online payment system powered by Clio that allows clients to make credit card payments, trust payments, and retainer payments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.8/5 Martindale-Hubbell peer review rating
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IR GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1992International professional network for knowledge sharing and collaboration among legal professionals. BKF attorneys participate in virtual roundtables, conferences, and co-author publications on real estate, tax efficiency, and international investment topics.
• LawPactminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational professional network of business law firms. Partners like John Whittemore attend LawPact conferences for professional development and networking.
• American Bar AssociationminorOthersProfessional association membership for attorneys. The firm and its attorneys participate in ABA activities and publish through ABA publications.
• California State BarminorOthersState bar association membership for California-licensed attorneys.
• University of San Diego School of LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirm established the Blanchard, Krasner & French Legacy Endowed Scholarship at USD School of Law supporting law students. Annual scholarship program supporting the local legal community.
• Big Brothers Big SistersminorOthersCommunity partnership supporting youth mentorship programs.
• Ronald McDonald House CharitiesminorOthersCommunity partnership supporting families with hospitalized children. Firm participates in fundraising events including the Northern Nevada 30th Anniversary.
• ScrippsminorOthersCommunity partnership with Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
• Northern Nevada HOPESminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit community health center partnership. Firm endorsed a tiny home in Hope Springs housing community for Reno's unsheltered neighbors.
• JDRF Northern NevadaminorOthersCharitable partnership supporting type 1 diabetes research. Firm creates custom cocktails for JDRF Vision Gala events and Mark Krasner served as Honorary Event Chair.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek: Long-established San Diego full-service law firm covering business, real estate, estate planning, tax, family law, employment, and litigation. Directly comparable to BKF in scope, size, target clientele (HNW individuals and privately held business owners), and La Jolla/San Diego geographic footprint.
• Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis: California-based law firm specializing in real estate, business, construction, and land use law. Closely comparable to BKF on real estate practice emphasis and serving real estate-active business owners and HNW clients in California.
• Higgs Fletcher & Mack: San Diego-based full-service law firm with deep business, real estate, employment, family, and estate planning practices serving regional business owners and HNW families. Comparable mid-size scope and overlapping practice-area coverage with BKF.
• Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch: San Diego-headquartered full-service law firm serving privately held businesses, family offices, and HNW individuals across business law, real estate, litigation, and estate planning. Comparable target market and full-service model, though larger headcount and broader geography than BKF.
• Winget Spada & Schwartz: California-based mid-size law firm with notable real estate, construction, business, and litigation practices serving business owners and developers. Comparable to BKF's real estate and litigation emphasis and similar mid-market positioning in California.
• Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell: California-based mid-size full-service firm with strong real estate, business, tax, employment, and litigation practices serving privately held businesses and HNW clients. Comparable practice breadth and enterprise client focus across California markets.
• Finch, Thornton & Baird: San Diego-based mid-size full-service law firm serving privately held businesses and high-net-worth families with business, real estate, employment, tax, estate planning, and litigation services. Comparable in size, practice mix, and single-source client model to BKF.
• Bremer Whyte Brown & O'Mahony: California-based full-service law firm with strong real estate, business, employment, and family law practices serving business owners and HNW clients. Comparable multi-jurisdictional California presence and similar multi-practice single-source delivery model.
• Michelman & Robinson: California-headquartered mid-size full-service law firm covering business, real estate, employment, tax, and litigation for mid-market and HNW clients. Comparable practice breadth, mid-size scale, and California-anchored delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck: Larger Western US full-service law firm with deep corporate, real estate, litigation, tax, and estate planning practices serving business owners and HNW clients. Overlaps substantially with BKF's practice mix but operates at greater scale across multiple Western states, representing a step-up incumbent benchmark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BlanchardKrasnerFrenchAPC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blanchard-krasner-&-french
• Xx.com/bkfattorneys

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 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 Blanchard, Krasner & French