Jonathan Blute is a partner at Walsworth who focuses his practice on professional and general liability matters. Jonathan is a skilled litigator with nearly 20 years of trial and appellate experience representing a variety of clients in professional liability, employment, commercial litigation, ethics, and real estate matters. As part of his professional liability practice, he advises attorneys, architects, engineers, and other professionals and businesses on risk management, contract negotiation, and claims prevention strategies to help reduce potential exposure before disputes arise.
Jonathan has first or second chaired eight trials and arbitrations, including four through jury verdict or judgments. He also handled eight federal and state appeals through disposition. Jonathan has successfully defended attorneys, design professionals, contractors, and businesses in complex claims involving alleged design and construction defects, negligence, and contractual disputes.
Jonathan is recognized by the State Bar of California as a Certified Specialist in Legal Malpractice Law. He has also been named to Super Lawyers’ Northern California “Rising Stars” list seven times, and was selected as a Northern California Super Lawyer for 2025.
- Obtained a 12-0 defense verdict on behalf of defendant/employer in wrongful termination/whistleblower action.
- Obtained a full defense judgment after bench trial on behalf of property/investment manager against investor suit for $2 million regarding employee’s multi-million dollar embezzlement scheme. Also prevailed on defendant’s cross-claims for contractual indemnity. Plaintiff /investor eventually settled by paying over $150K in fees and costs.
- Defended insurance broker against insured suit for allegedly failing to procure requested insurance coverage. Final pretrial settlement demand was for $450K. After motions in limine were filed and just before hearings thereon and jury selection, case settled for $30K.
- Successfully defended attorney clients against several State Bar of California ethics complaint investigations, resulting in full dismissals.
- Prevailed in several appeals before state and federal courts, two of which resulted in published opinions: Flickinger v. Finwall(2022) 85 Cal.App.5th 822 and Riggs v. Prober & Raphael (9th Cir. 2012) 681 F.3d 1097.
- Obtained a full defense award after five-day arbitration in a legal malpractice lawsuit alleging attorney negligence and intentional misconduct in underlying bankruptcy litigation.
- Successful Anti-SLAPP Motion dismissing claim of aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty against probate attorney.
- Co-Author, “Navigating the Black Hole of California’s Mediation Confidentiality Statutes,” San Francisco Attorney, Fall 2018.
- Quoted, “9th Circ. OKs Debt Notices Implying Disputes Must Be Written,” Law360, June 2012.
- Author, “Wading Through Actual Injury and the Discovery Rule in the Wake of Shifren v. Spiro,” Riding the E&O Line, Defense Research Institute, 2012.
- Author, “Take a Deep Breath: With Planning, Landlords Can Assure That Their Property Investments Don’t Disappear in a Cloud of Smoke,” The Registry, 2010
- A Powerful Tool: Section 998 Offers to Compromise, Bar Association of San Francisco Presentation, September 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