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Phone: 415.772.5713
Fax: 415.989.1663

Education:

  • University of California, A.B., 1943
  • Yale University, LL.B., 1947

Practice Areas

William K. Coblentz print this page

Partner

Mr. Coblentz is the senior partner of the firm. His chief areas of legal expertise are land use and development, real estate, and complex business transactions.

Real Estate Development

Mr. Coblentz brings fifty years of experience counseling and advocating for real estate developers, owners, and tenants to the representation of individuals, businesses, and public entities in real estate development projects, assisting in obtaining approvals from various administrative and elective bodies, and counseling on a wide range of issues, including regulatory and environmental matters.

General Business and Legal Counsel

Mr. Coblentz's general business and personal advice practice is formed by decades of experience in which he has served as director, trustee, regent, and counselor of public entities, charities, businesses, foundations, and families. From mergers and acquisitions to sensitive family concerns, Mr. Coblentz offers personal and business counsel steeped in his unparalleled knowledge of and experience in business and community matters. His clients include long-established national developers and retailers, newspapers, foundations, business owners, professionals, and celebrities.

Professional Activities

Mr. Coblentz is a member of Lambda Alpha and is listed in Best Lawyers in America. Mr. Coblentz was awarded the 2010 San Francisco Lawyer of the Year for Land Use & Zoning by Best Lawyers.  In 2002, he was elected as a Fellow to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Mr. Coblentz currently serves on the boards of directors of the Koret Foundation and the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. He has served on the boards of directors of McClatchy Newspapers, Pacific Telesis, Pacific Bell, Mervyn's, Vidal Sassoon, Inc., Y. Lin International and the Public Policy Institute of California. Mr. Coblentz was an adjunct professor at the Haas School of Management at the University of California, Berkeley and a visiting fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford University. In addition, he has served on the University of California Board of Regents (1964 to 1980) and Chairman of the Board (1978 to 1980) and the San Francisco Airport Commission (1970 to 1986); as a consultant to the U.S. Secretary of State (1962); and as special counsel to California Gov. Edmund G. "Pat" Brown (1959 to 1961). Mr. Coblentz is the author of articles published in University of Southern California Law Review, American Bar Association Journal, Hastings Law Journal, Yale Law Journal, Cornell Law Quarterly, and Newsweek, among others. He is a recipient of the Berkeley Citation, the highest honor awarded by his undergraduate alma mater.