Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP has been named a strongly recommended midsize firm by BTI Consulting Group as part of its Most Recommended Law Firms 2025 report. The list recognizes mid- and smaller-sized firms (500 attorneys or less) most recommended by corporate counsel.

BTI is an industry leader in conducting independent research on how clients acquire, manage, and evaluate their professional services providers. More details are available here.

In the wake of the executive orders targeting law firms, Coblentz has joined an amicus brief in support of Perkins Coie.

Our firm has long forged a path of fairness and justice, and we are deeply committed to our clients, our community, and each other. In joining this amicus brief we are standing for the principles of free speech, freedom of association, the right to counsel, the right to petition the government, and the rule of law.

To view the brief, please click here.

Partner Jeff Bernstein has been recognized as an Outstanding Volunteer in Public Service by the Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco (JDC). This honor recognizes Jeff’s significant dedication to pro bono service in 2024.

Jeff is one of the most well-known and preeminent tax attorneys in California. He brings extensive experience and close, personal attention to the representation of businesses, individuals, and families in highly sophisticated income, estate, and property tax matters, both as an advisor and as an advocate.

The JDC’s mission is to advance fairness and equality by providing pro bono legal services to low-income people and educational programs that foster diversity in the legal profession.

Tim Crudo and Mari Clifford authored the column “The Properties of Fraud Part I” which was published in the Spring 2025 ABTL Northern California Report. The column is the first part of a two-part series that looks at the development of mail and wire fraud statutes, some of their nuances, and where the courts might be headed in applying them. The full column is linked here.

Coblentz litigator Victor Yu authored the column “Is there a UCL exemption to Section 16600 of California’s Business and Professions Code?” which was published in the Spring 2025 ABTL Northern California Report. In the column, Victor discussed whether courts have recognized an “unfair competition” exception to Section 16600 of California’s non-compete law and other procedural hurdles in trade-secret cases. The full column is linked here.

Coblentz’s international legal alliance, TAGLaw®, has again been recognized by Chambers & Partners as “Elite – Band 1” for 2025—the highest ranking awarded to legal networks and alliances. This is the twelfth year TAGLaw has received the distinguished “Elite” designation since Chambers & Partners began ranking legal networks and alliances in 2013, and the fifth consecutive year ranked as “Band 1” since Chambers expanded their rankings of legal networks in 2020.

In selecting networks and alliances for their “Elite” status, Chambers & Partners pays particular attention to the quality of the member firms, their global reach, and the value that the alliance provides to its member firms. TAGLaw, with a global footprint in over 90 countries, has over 150 leading firms providing legal services to companies ranging from the Fortune 5000 and leading SMEs to high-net-worth individuals. With expertise in dozens of practice areas and numerous industry sectors, TAGLaw offers a substantial capability to its members’ clients. This capability is expanded by TAGLaw’s unique relationship with its sister alliances of accounting firms (TIAG®) and strategic partners (TAG-SP®), which together provide exceptional multidisciplinary service and a competitive advantage to businesses that cross geographical borders.

As the Northern California law firm representative to TAGLaw, Coblentz has access to a network of exemplary regional, national, and international legal resources to help us better serve our clients. Coblentz partner Paul Tauber is a member of the Advisory Board and chair of the Global Strategy Committee of the TAG Alliances, assisting in reviewing prospective new members, offering feedback for the planning of international conferences, and providing valuable guidance on future plans and initiatives.

Partner Sabrina Larson has been recognized as a leading trademark professional in the 2025 edition of the World Trademark Review’s WTR 1000 guide.

Sabrina focuses on trademark and copyright clearance, prosecution, and enforcement, as well as complex litigation, with an emphasis on intellectual property and commercial litigation. She represents clients in domestic and international trademark clearance, prosecution, and enforcement, including in proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, in Uniform Dispute Resolution Proceedings, and in federal court. She helps clients navigate international trademark clearance and selection; creates, implements, and manages trademark portfolio strategies; and secures and enforces her clients’ trademark rights around the world.

The WTR 1000 is a guide that recognizes top trademark professionals around the globe. For more details on the guide, please click here.

San Francisco, CA January 1, 2025 – Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP is pleased to announce the election of Bina Patel to the firm’s partnership, effective January 1, 2025.

“We are thrilled to welcome Bina to the partnership,” said Sara Finigan, Managing Partner of the firm. “Bina exemplifies the core values that Coblentz is known for – commitment to our clients, community, and firm. We are proud to call her our partner and look forward to her future contributions.”

Bina’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation with an emphasis on intellectual property and appeals. She has extensive experience in all stages of litigation and has practiced before federal and appellate courts across the country. She has successfully represented both plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes technology disputes related to patents, copyrights, trade secret misappropriation, breach of contract, fraud, unfair competition, and false advertising.

Bina has litigated cases involving a wide range of industries and technologies, including wireless and cellular networks, online advertising systems, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, food and beverage, medical devices and diagnostics, and biotechnology. She also counsels clients on data privacy and cybersecurity issues and regulatory compliance with federal and state privacy laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act and California Privacy Rights Act.

Bina clerked for the Honorable John T. Noonan, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She is a member of the Copyright Society and the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California. She earned her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law with a Certificate in International Law. During law school, she served as Senior Book Reviews and Essays Editor of the California Law Review and was a recipient of the William K. Coblentz Civil Rights Research Fellowship. She earned her B.A., with honors, in Rhetoric from the University of California, Berkeley.

Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP partner Harry O’Brien was honored as Member of the Year by the Golden Gate – San Francisco chapter of the Lambda Alpha International (LAI) Land Economics Society. LAI awards honor nominees who have advanced the field of land economics through their achievements and service to their profession, community, and chapter.

Harry O’Brien has played a pivotal role in shaping the Bay Area’s urban landscape. He has represented both the San Francisco Giants in the development of Oracle Park and the San Francisco 49ers in the development of Levi’s® stadium in Santa Clara, California. He has also been recognized for his work with the Tejon Ranch Conservation and Land Use Agreement, one of the most significant land use and conservation agreements in California history. Known as a top Land Use & Zoning lawyer in Chambers USA, Harry’s clients describe him as “outstanding in providing good business counsel” and “a remarkably smart and experienced real estate attorney.”

Lambda Alpha International’s mission is to encourage and support the study of land economics, expand the world’s knowledge and understanding of the principles of land, and advance a close working bond and mutual understanding among those engaged in all disciplines and activities related to land economics.

Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP partner Fred Alvarez was honored as the recipient of the 2024 Cruz Reynoso Lifetime Achievement Award by the San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association. The annual award is named for Justice Cruz Reynoso, the first Latino state Supreme Court justice in California history.

One of the preeminent employment lawyers in the United States, Fred combines a distinct blend of employment law experience, public service, and legal profession leadership. Fred is a former chair of the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, has served on the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, and is a former president of the Bar Association of San Francisco. Fred serves on the board of directors of Equal Rights Advocates and the Latino Community Foundation. He is also a member and former chair of the board of governors of Public Advocates Inc.

San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association’s mission is to serve the public interest by cultivating the science of jurisprudence, promoting reform in the law, facilitating the administration of justice, advancing the standing of the legal profession, and preserving the high standards of professionalism among Latino attorneys.