San Francisco (January 13, 2026) – San Francisco-based law firm Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP is pleased to announce that Chris Boyd has joined the Firm as Chief Operating Officer. Chris will lead the Firm’s business operations and work alongside the Firm’s Managing Partner, Sara Finigan, on strategic growth initiatives.

Chris comes to Coblentz from Wilson Sonsini, where he had worked since 2001, and had served as COO since 2020. At Coblentz, Chris will oversee all business and administrative operations of the firm, including finance and accounting, business development and marketing, professional development, human resources, recruiting, innovation, pricing, project management, technology and information systems, and facilities.

Chris is a recognized thought leader in the legal profession. He is President of the College of Law Practice Management and previously served on the boards of directors of the International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) and the Professional Development Consortium (PDC).

“The Firm is delighted to have Chris joining our leadership team,” says Managing Partner Sara Finigan. “He brings a wealth of experience and the demonstrated ability to apply it. He is also warm, personable, thoughtful and smart, a perfect fit for Coblentz.”

Chris has deep roots in San Francisco, volunteering on the San Francisco Advisory Board of 10,000 Degrees, as well as the West Region Advisory Board of The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). “His devotion of time and talent to these organizations mirrors our Firm’s longstanding commitments to our community,” Ms. Finigan said.

Chris joins Coblentz as Maggie Callicrate, the Firm’s CEO, heads toward retirement in early 2026 after twelve years with the Firm. “The Firm has been fortunate to have had Maggie at our helm for the past decade. She is a law firm visionary, and the Firm has benefited tremendously from her leadership,” Ms. Finigan said.

San Francisco, CA December 17, 2025 – Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP is pleased to announce the election of Leah Collins to the firm’s partnership, effective January 1, 2026.

“We are so pleased to welcome Leah to the partnership,” said Sara Finigan, Managing Partner of the firm. “Leah is a talented real estate lawyer whose thoughtful, business-focused counsel exemplifies the commitment to client service and excellence that defines Coblentz. We are proud to have her as our partner and look forward to her continued contributions.”

Leah is a real estate transactional attorney who represents investors, developers, owners, lenders, and borrowers in complex real estate transactions across California and the United States. Her practice covers the full lifecycle of real estate assets, including acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures, development, and sophisticated debt and equity financing, across a range of property types such as office, retail, hospitality and luxury resort, mixed-use projects, multifamily, and entitled and unentitled land. She routinely structures, negotiates, and closes complex purchase and sale deals, handles new and modified financings on behalf of both borrowers and lenders, and oversees project-related documentation for ground-up and redevelopment projects. Leah delivers pragmatic, business-forward guidance that balances opportunity and risk to achieve successful outcomes for her clients. Known for being practical, responsive, and efficient, she is a collaborative advisor who translates complex issues into clear, actionable paths to closing, which builds and strengthens lasting client relationships through her calm, solutions-driven approach.

Leah is an elected member of the California Lawyers Association’s Real Property Law Executive Committee and a member of the Real Property Sections of the American Bar Association, California State Bar, and Bar Association of San Francisco. She has been named to the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Real Estate Law (2023–2026) and recognized as a Northern California Rising Star by Super Lawyers.

Leah earned her J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law, where she served as Managing Editor of the Santa Clara Law Review, and her B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Davis.

Coblentz partner Duff Beach has been elected to the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area’s (LCCRSF) Board of Directors.

Duff is a commercial litigator who focuses on construction, contract, unfair competition, and trust and estate litigation. He has actively represented pro bono clients for two decades, and his bono work has included election protection, domestic violence restraining orders, and representing military reservists in civil claims regarding active duty deployments. The LCCRSF and the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County have both recognized him for his pro bono work.

The LCCR of San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most enduring civil rights institutions on the West Coast. The organization works to advance, protect, and promote the legal rights of communities of color and low-income persons, immigrants, and refugees with the mission to build an equitable and just society. Assisted by hundreds of pro bono attorneys, LCCRSF provides free legal assistance and representation to individuals on civil legal matters through direct services, impact litigation, and policy advocacy. Its Board of Directors includes leaders in legal, executive, and advocacy communities across the Bay Area.

Coblentz has been a longtime pro bono partner of the LCCRSF.

 

Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP received eight national rankings and 17 regional rankings in the 2026 edition of Best Law Firms®,  including National Tier 1 recognition for Appellate, Land Use and Zoning Law, and Litigation and Controversy-Tax, and Regional Tier 1 recognition in 13 San Francisco Metropolitan categories.

Coblentz is ranked in the following categories:

National Rankings

Appellate Practice

Commercial Litigation

Land Use and Zoning Law

Litigation and Controversy – Tax

Litigation – Real Estate

Real Estate Law

Tax Law

Trusts and Estates

San Francisco Metropolitan Rankings

Appellate Practice

Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Commercial Litigation

Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Employment Law – Management

Labor Law – Management

Land Use and Zoning Law

Litigation – Antitrust

Litigation – Bankruptcy

Litigation – Labor and Employment

Litigation – Land Use and Zoning

Litigation – Real Estate

Litigation – Trusts and Estates

Litigation and Controversy – Tax

Real Estate Law

Tax Law

Trusts and Estates

The 16th edition of Best Law Firms is independently produced by Best Lawyers and provides a comprehensive guide to top-performing law firms in the United States. The rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes client feedback, peer reviews, industry leader interviews, and detailed analysis of law firm data. The 2026 edition incorporates research covering 129,000 lawyers and 24,000 firms. To view more details on the Best Law Firms rankings, please visit the website linked here.

Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP is a proud sponsor of the 2025 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Fall Meeting, taking place from November 4 through 6, 2025 in San Francisco.

ULI’s Fall Meeting offers top real estate industry leaders, visionaries, and decision-makers the opportunity to come together for unique insights, networking, and hands-on learning regarding the built environment.

The conference includes a tour of Mission Rock, a mixed-use development and public-private partnership between the San Francisco Giants, the Port of San Francisco, and Tishman Speyer. Coblentz is lead counsel to Seawall Lot 337 Associates, LLC, an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, in the Mission Rock project. Our representation has included advice regarding Proposition D, the project height authorization ballot measure approved in the November 2015 election, and negotiation of a complex development agreement, financing plan, master lease, and multiple agency reviews, including the San Francisco Port Commission, Board of Supervisors, BCDC, and the State Lands Commission. As one of the lead lawyers on the project, Coblentz real estate partner Gregg Miller will be attending the tour.

Coblentz has had a longstanding relationship with ULI over the years given the firm’s deep roots in real estate and land use law in the Bay Area and beyond. As clients note in Chambers USA, “The team has a deep understanding of land use law, significant experience and deep relationships within the jurisdictions that we work in, which helps us achieve desired results,” and is “extremely qualified to handle complex land use issues and problems.”

ULI is a global network of professionals in every sector of real estate development and land use, from private enterprise to public service, and has more than 45,000 members worldwide. ULI’s mission is to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide.

For more details on ULI’s Fall Meeting, please visit the ULI website linked here.

Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass was named to Benchmark Litigation’s 2026 list of “Recommended Firms,” ranking in Tier 1 for Dispute Resolution in San Francisco and California.

In addition to the firm’s Tier 1 ranking, the following six partners are recognized by Benchmark Litigation:

• Jonathan Bass: Litigation Star and California – Litigation Star for Competition/Antitrust, Appellate, and Commercial Litigation
• Timothy Crudo: Litigation Star and California – Litigation Star for White Collar Crime
• Rees Morgan: Litigation Star for White Collar Crime
• Richard Patch: Litigation Star and California – Litigation Star for Competition/Antitrust, Commercial, and Class Action
• KT Van Dusen: Future Star
• Clifford Yin: Litigation Star for Labor and Employment, Commercial, and Real Estate

Benchmark Litigation is the definitive guide to the world’s leading litigation law firms and lawyers. Its law firm and lawyer rankings are based on extensive interviews with litigators, dispute resolution specialists, and clients to identify leading litigators and firms. More details are available on the Benchmark Litigation website linked here.

Coblentz associate Anita Chu co-authored the Dispute Resolution chapter in the ABA Forum On Construction Law’s Fundamentals of Construction Law, Third Edition. The chapter covers on-site alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques, partnering, and traditional and step negotiations. More details are available on the ABA’s website.

Anita litigates cases involving large-scale and complex construction projects. She has represented owners, public entities, general contractors, and subcontractors in disputes arising out of the construction of public transit, student dormitories, university buildings, hospitals, electrical substations, housing developments, and commercial tenant improvement projects. Anita has successfully resolved disputes involving breach of contract, extra work, delay, warranty, defects, and indemnity.

In the wake of the current administration’s policy of courthouse arrests in Northern California and the prolonged detention of immigrants in unsafe and unlawful conditions at U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) San Francisco Field Office, Coblentz has joined a coalition of civil rights groups to file a federal class action lawsuit against ICE.

Our firm has long forged a path of fairness and justice. As pro bono counsel for this class action, we are providing support to our community members most in need of legal representation.

“By subjecting immigrants to the inhumane conditions at 630 Sansome, the administration has violated the Fifth Amendment’s core protection against punitive detention without due process. We will call on the court to end these unconstitutional practices,” said Mark Hejinian, litigation partner and co-chair of Coblentz’s Pro Bono Committee.

To view the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights’ press release, please click here.

Richard Patch has been recognized as one of the best attorneys for client service in BTI’s 2025 Client Service All-Stars report.

The BTI Client Service All-Stars report is based solely on unprompted, confidential feedback from more than 350 independent, individual interviews with CLOs and General Counsel at Fortune 1000 companies and large organizations. Client Service All-Stars are recognized by top legal decision makers for being embedded in client decision-making, understanding business and operating context, bringing new ideas clients have not seen before, operating in compressed time frames, and offering practicality in time to matter.

Richard’s trial and appellate practice focuses on complex civil litigation, and he is widely regarded as one of the leading cable television and telecommunications lawyers in the country. “My client service philosophy is built on clear communications, responsiveness, and unwavering integrity,” says Richard. “I prioritize understanding each client’s unique goals in order to deliver result-driven legal solutions. My commitment is to handle every case with the utmost diligence and respect, ensuring that my clients are always informed and receive legal support that consistently exceeds their expectations.” To view Richard’s BTI Client Service All-Star profile, please click here.

Earlier this year, Coblentz was recognized in BTI’s Client Service A-Team 2025, where corporate counsel ranked Coblentz in the top firms nationally for client service excellence. Coblentz was also named a strongly recommended midsize firm in BTI’s Most Recommended Law Firms 2025 report.

BTI is an industry leader in conducting independent research on how clients acquire, manage, and evaluate their professional services providers. Read more about the BTI Client Service All-Stars 2025 here.

In its annual listing of the nation’s top legal talent, the Best Lawyers® in America guide recognized 36 Coblentz attorneys, including 9 as Ones to Watch®. Best Lawyers lists are based entirely on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation. Inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America is determined solely through a comprehensive peer-review survey. The 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® is based on more than 31 million evaluations.

Categories of recognition are listed below.

2026 Best Lawyers in America Recognitions

• Fred Alvarez: Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment
• Jon Bass: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Land Use and Zoning, Litigation – Real Estate
• Jennifer Beerline: Trusts and Estates
• Jeff Bernstein: Litigation and Controversy – Tax, Tax Law
• Matt Bove: Land Use and Zoning Law, Real Estate Law
• Frank Busch: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Trusts and Estates
• Tim Crudo: Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• Phil Feldman: Litigation – Trusts and Estates, Trusts and Estates
• Gregg Ficks: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation – Bankruptcy
• Alan Gennis: Real Estate Law
• Robert Hodil: Real Estate Law
• Miles Imwalle: Land Use and Zoning Law
• Megan Jennings: Land Use and Zoning Law
• Jeff Knowles: Commercial Litigation
• Danna Kozerski: Real Estate Law
• Jacob Lager: Tax Law, Trusts and Estates
• Jaime Mannon: Trusts and Estates
• Gregg Miller: Real Estate Law
• Jim Mitchell: Trusts and Estates Law
• Rees Morgan: Criminal Defense: White Collar
• Allison Moser: Employment Law – Management
• Harry O’Brien: Land Use and Zoning Law, Real Estate Law
• Richard Patch: Appellate Practice, Litigation – Antitrust
• Frank Petrilli: Land Use and Zoning Law
• Ben Pulliam: Commercial Litigation
• Doug Sands: Real Estate Law
• Tay Via: Land Use and Zoning Law, Litigation – Land Use and Zoning, Real Estate Law

2026 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America Recognitions

• Abe Andrade: Commercial Litigation
• Kiana Araghi: Real Estate Law
• Leah Collins: Real Estate Law
• Sarah Peterson: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Real Estate
• Angel Saunders: Trusts and Estates
• Laura Seegal: Litigation – Labor and Employment
• David Thompson: Litigation – Trusts and Estates, Trusts and Estates
• Ashley Weinstein-Carnes: Land Use and Zoning Law
• Jessica Wilson: Tax Law

To view the full rankings, please visit the Best Lawyers website.