Jonathan M. Blute
88 Kearny St.
10th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94108
Phone: 415.788.1900
Fax: 415.393.8087
Primary Practice Areas
Real Estate
Admissions
- All Courts of the State of California
- United States District Court for the Northern, Southern, Central and Eastern Districts of California
- Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Education
- J.D., University of California, Hastings College of the Law
- B.A., University of Richmond; Leadership Studies, minors in Political Science and Economics
Jonathan M. Blute
Director
Mr. Blute maintains an active trial and appellate practice focused on the representation and defense of private and corporate businesses in professional liability, commercial, technology, real estate, employment-based matters, and matters before the State Bar. His litigation experience equips him to provide effective advice related to strategic planning, business formation, negotiations and contract preparation, risk management and corporate governance.
Mr. Blute is also adept at identifying those cases in which the most favorable result is an early resolution, and has settled several cases with multi-million dollar exposure at all stages of litigation, ranging from pre-filing to trial.
Mr. Blute was selected to the 2013, 2014, and 2015 Northern California Rising Star list by Super Lawyers magazine.
Representative Matters
- Achieved settlement of a lawsuit alleging sexual and racial harassment, battery, and wage violations on behalf of local branch of a national restaurant chain.
- Successfully argued multiple appeals of favorable pre-trial judgments in state court, including director/officer negligence and malicious prosecution cases.
- Obtained dismissal of million dollar legal malpractice complaint on demurrer.
- Obtained summary judgment for national vehicle rental agency in connection with trip-and-fall accident in parking lot next to client property.
- Settled multi-million dollar demand legal malpractice case prior to summary judgment.
Professional and Community Contributions
Mr. Blute is a member of the State Bar of California and the Bar Association of San Francisco.
Selected Publications
- Wading through Actual Injury and the Discovery Rule in the Wake of Shifren v. Spiro, Riding the E&O Line, Defense Research Institute, 2012
- Take a Deep Breath: With Planning, Landlords Can Assure That Their Property Investments Don't Disappear in a Cloud of Smoke, The Registry, 2010
- 9th Circ. OKs Debt Notices Implying Disputes Must Be Written, law360.com, June 2012 (quoted source in article)
Selected Presentation
- Potential Medi-Cal Pitfalls in Estate Practice and How to Avoid Them, Bar Association of San Francisco, co-presented with Peter L. Weber, December 2014
Published Appellate Decisions
- Riggs v. Prober & Raphael, 681 F.3d 1097, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, June 8, 2012 — published opinion interpreting provision of Federal Debt Collection Reporting Act regulating debt collector’s initial communications with debtor.
Unpublished Appellate Decisions
- Ruch v. Ackerman, Court of Appeals of California, First District, Division Five, August 31, 2011 – successfully appealed denial of motion to dismiss malicious prosecution case against attorney defendants.
- Jardine v. Twin Creeks, California Court of Appeal, First District, November 24, 2010 – defeated appeal of Homeowners’ Association’s nonsuit judgment arising out of HOA member’s CC&R dispute.
Academic Distinctions
- Member of the Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly