Finch, Thornton & Baird

What Finch, Thornton & Baird does

Finch, Thornton & Baird, LLP (d/b/a FTBLaw) is a privately held construction and business law firm founded in 1987 and headquartered at 4747 Executive Drive in San Diego, California. The firm focuses on the U.S. construction industry, providing legal services to general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, public agencies, and corporate clients across more than 20 states through offices in California, Washington (Bellevue), and Idaho (Eagle). Its practice spans construction claims and disputes, prime contract and subcontract drafting (AIA, AGC, ConsensusDocs, EJCDC), federal and state procurement and bid protests, OSHA and workplace safety defense, labor and employment matters, real estate, surety, insurance defense, and corporate/business transactions.

The firm operates as a partner-led limited liability partnership with 30-32 attorneys plus administrative staff (approximately 50+ total personnel), supported by standard law-firm technology including document management, eDiscovery tools, and case management software. Its technology stack is conventional professional-services infrastructure, and its only disclosed third-party technology integration is LawPay for online invoice and retainer payments. Revenue is generated through traditional professional fee billing — hourly rates, fixed fees, and contingency arrangements — with monthly invoicing and quote-based engagement pricing typical of relationship-driven legal services.

The firm is recognized as a Top-50 construction practice nationally by Chambers USA (2025 and 2026) and holds the Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating, with multiple attorneys holding Super Lawyer distinctions. Its go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales: targeting ENR Top 400 contractors and large public agencies through industry association leadership (AGC, ABC, The Beavers, Women's Construction Coalition), client seminars, content marketing, and direct attorney-client relationships. The firm is founder/partner-owned (P. Randolph Finch Jr., Jason R. Thornton, Jeffrey B. Baird) with no institutional investors, parent company, or disclosed funding activity.

Name

Finch, Thornton & Baird

Legal name

Finch, Thornton & Baird, LLP

Website

https://ftblaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Finch, Thornton & Baird is a privately held construction and business law firm (founded 1987) serving general contractors, subcontractors, public agencies, and corporate clients across 20+ U.S. states from offices in California, Washington, and Idaho, with 30-32 attorneys practicing construction claims, contracts, federal procurement, labor, and real estate law.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services - Construction Law

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Construction Specialty (Wrap-Ups/Builders Risk/Contractors) (FSAJAGAH), Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)

Keywords

• Construction law services
• Construction litigation
• Public works contracts
• Construction dispute resolution
• OSHA defense counsel

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: Traditional law firm billing for legal services including hourly rates, fixed fees for specific matters, and contingency or success fee arrangements for litigation. Services include construction law, business litigation, labor & employment, real estate, and corporate transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Finch, Thornton & Baird, LLP is a construction and business law firm that provides legal representation to contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, owners, developers, and government agencies across public and private construction projects. Core offerings include construction claims and disputes, contract drafting and negotiation, federal procurement and bid protests, labor and employment counseling, workplace safety/OSHA defense, real estate, corporate transactions, collections, insurance defense, and ongoing project counsel. The firm also provides business and commercial litigation, transactions, liability defense, and surety services.

Product overview

Finch, Thornton & Baird, LLP is a construction and business law firm operating as a unified legal services practice with multiple specialized practice areas rather than a modular software product. The core offering is Construction Law, which encompasses 12 sub-practice areas including Claims & Disputes, Local Agency/Municipal & State Contracts, Federal Procurement & Claims, Prime Contracts & Subcontracts, Labor & Employment, Workplace Safety & Health, Real Estate, Corporate, Collections, Insurance Defense, Project Counsel, and Wealth Preservation. Additional practice areas include Business & Commercial Litigation, Business & Commercial Transactions, Liability Defense, and Surety. The firm also holds the 'Let's Get To Work' trademark expressing its operational philosophy. The firm serves clients throughout the United States with offices in California, Washington, and Idaho.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Construction Law Primary legal practice area providing comprehensive representation in construction claims, disputes, contract negotiation, and litigation for contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers across public and private construction projects.
• Claims & Disputes Legal representation in construction claims including extra work, delay, disruption, acceleration, plans and specs, site conditions, and bond and surety disputes.
• Local Agency, Municipal & State Contracts Representation before local, regional, and state agencies in public contract matters, bid protests, regulatory compliance, and construction claims.
• Federal Procurement & Claims Legal services for the federal construction arena including business formation, bid protests, contract disputes, and claims representation for clients engaged with federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Air Force.
• Prime Contracts & Subcontracts Drafting, negotiation, and review of prime contracts and subcontracts including AIA, AGC, ConsensusDocs, and EJCDC documents.
• Labor & Employment Defense of wage and hour disputes, OSHA matters, harassment and discrimination claims, union grievances, and employment litigation for construction industry employers.
• Workplace Safety & Health Counseling, training, representation, and litigation for workplace safety compliance with state and federal OSHA regulations, including defense of citations and fatal accident cases.
• Real Estate Commercial and residential property acquisition, ownership, development, sales, leasing, zoning, land use, and permitting.
• Corporate Business entity formation, CSLB licensing, SBA certifications, mergers and acquisitions, trademark and intellectual property services for construction companies.
• Collections Construction collections including mechanic's liens, stop payment notices, payment bonds, and performance bonds for private and public works.
• Insurance Defense Insurance coverage disputes, construction defect defense, OCIP/CCIP analysis, and defense through jury trial for construction industry clients.
• Project Counsel 24/7 course-of-performance legal strategy and counsel throughout the project lifecycle for contractors and subcontractors.
• Wealth Preservation Business succession planning, trusts and estates planning and administration, probate, and buy-sell agreements for construction industry clients and owners.
• Business & Commercial Litigation Litigation and dispute resolution for business and commercial matters outside the construction context.
• Business & Commercial Transactions Transactional legal services for business matters including purchases, sales, mergers, and shareholder agreements.
• Liability Defense Defense representation for liability claims.
• Surety Legal services related to surety bonds and surety matters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully represented clients in bid protests winning multi-million dollar contracts (e.g., $760,000 project, $49 million project, $29 million project, $5.5 million project)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Associated General Contractors (AGC) - San Diego ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive partner for more than two decades with senior partners serving as board members or in committee leadership roles. Firm sponsors and participates in recreational and educational events.
• Associated General Contractors (AGC) - California ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level AGC partnership with active involvement in construction industry initiatives and training seminars.
• Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) - San Diego ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive partnership with ABC San Diego for over 20 years with firm attorneys providing training seminars on construction law issues.
• Women's Construction CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting women in construction through industry association and networking.
• The BeaversminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical construction industry association partnership supporting industry camaraderie and professional development.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Schembri Law Group: Smaller California-based construction law firm serving general contractors and subcontractors. Comparable niche focus to FTB but at a smaller scale and more limited geographic reach, representing a potential local competitive threat or tuck-in target.
• Construction Risk Counsel: Specialty construction law and risk management firm focused on contract review, claims avoidance, and dispute resolution for contractors. Comparable to FTB's Project Counsel and Claims & Disputes practices, though narrower in scope.

Regional players

• Hall Estill: Regional law firm with a dedicated construction law practice serving Oklahoma and surrounding states. Comparable to FTB in construction law specialization and government contracts work but operating in a different regional market.
• Hanson Bridgett: California-based law firm with a recognized construction practice serving West Coast contractors. Comparable to FTB's California construction law focus, though broader in scope, and shares the same California regulatory environment (Davis-Bacon, prevailing wage, state public works).

Direct peers

• Smith, Currie & Hancock: Long-established national construction law firm with deep expertise in construction litigation, government contracts, and surety. Closely comparable to FTB in its focus on construction disputes, federal procurement, and representation of contractors and sureties.
• Watt, Tieder, Hoffar & Fitzgerald: Specialty construction and government contracts law firm with strong federal procurement and claims practice. Comparable to FTB in its targeted construction focus, federal work (including VA and DoD-related projects), and representation of large contractors.
• Peckar & Abramson: One of the largest U.S. construction law firms with a national footprint, serving general contractors, subcontractors, and owners. Directly comparable to FTB as a specialist construction law practice with multiple offices and a similar target client base among ENR-ranked contractors.

Broad incumbents

• Akerman LLP: Major U.S. law firm with a strong Florida-based construction practice and national reach. Comparable to FTB in serving construction industry clients but operates at significantly larger scale with broader practice offerings.
• Keker, Van Nest & Peters: San Francisco-based litigation firm with significant construction disputes practice. Comparable in geographic proximity and litigation strength for complex construction matters, though a much broader commercial litigation shop.
• Bradley Arant Boult Cummings: Large full-service regional firm with a well-known construction practice group. Comparable to FTB's construction law work but operates as a broader professional services firm with significantly greater scale and multiple practice areas beyond construction.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100057587015462
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/finch-thornton-baird-llp

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Finch, Thornton & Baird