Jonathan M. Blute
580 California Street
Suite 1100
San Francisco, CA 94104
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 representing and defending businesses and professionals against all manner of malpractice, employment, and commercial claims. His litigation experience also equips him to provide effective advice related to strategic planning, business formation and governance, contract negotiations, and risk management including design and construction defects.
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 is recognized by the State Bar of California as a Certified Specialist in Legal Malpractice Law. He was also selected to the 2013 – 2015 and 2017 - 2019 Northern California Rising Star list by Super Lawyers magazine.
Representative Matters
- Obtained a defense judgment after trial against a $3 million negligent supervision complaint related to employee embezzlement; prevailed on indemnity cross-complaint for defense fees and costs.
- Achieved settlement of a complaint for sexual and racial harassment, battery, and wage violations on behalf of local branch of a national restaurant chain.
- Obtained dismissal of million dollar legal malpractice complaint on demurrer.
- Obtained summary judgment for national vehicle rental agency on personal injury complaint arising out of trip-and-fall accident in parking lot.
- Settled multi-million dollar demand legal malpractice case prior to summary judgment. Settled several construction and design defect cases resolving tens of millions of dollars in potential exposure.
Professional and Community Contributions
Mr. Blute is a member of the State Bar of California and the Bar Association of San Francisco.
Selected Publications
- Navigating the Black Hole of California's Mediation Confidentiality Statutes, co-authored with Timothy J. Halloran, San Francisco Attorney, Fall 2018
- Wading through Actual Injury and the Discovery Rule in the Wake of Shifren v. Spiro, Riding the E&O Line, Defense Research Institute, 2012
- 9th Circ. OKs Debt Notices Implying Disputes Must Be Written, law360.com, June 2012 (quoted source in article)
- Take a Deep Breath: With Planning, Landlords Can Assure That Their Property Investments Don't Disappear in a Cloud of Smoke, The Registry, 2010
Selected Presentations
- A Powerful Tool: Section 998 Offers to Compromise, Bar Association of San Francisco, September 21, 2017
- 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
- Lico v. Prioste, et al., California Court of Appeal, First District (2017) – Defeated appeal of summary judgment dismissing legal malpractice complaint on statute of limitations grounds.
- 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.
