Todd Blanche (born 1974) is an American lawyer and former prosecutor. Blanche is best known for representing former U.S. president Donald Trump in the 2024 criminal trial in New York, where a jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records, making him the first

U.S. president The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

to be convicted of a crime.

Education and career

Blanche was born in 1974 and grew up near Denver, Colorado. He went to a military boarding school in New Mexico and attended

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin. Founded in 1846, when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and has ...

. He then transferred to the

American University School of Public Affairs The American University School of Public Affairs (SPA) is an institution of higher education and research located in Washington, D.C. that grants academic degrees in political science, public administration, public policy, and justice, law and ...

, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science and interdisciplinary studies. In 1999, Blanche worked as a

paralegal A paralegal, also known as a legal assistant, or paralegal specialist is a professional who performs tasks that require knowledge of legal concepts but not the full expertise of a lawyer with a license to practice law. The market for paralegals i ...

for the

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York is the chief federal law enforcement officer in eight New York counties: New York (Manhattan), Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess and Sullivan. Establishe ...

and attended night classes at

Brooklyn Law School Brooklyn Law School (BLS) is a private law school in New York City. Founded in 1901, it has approximately 1,100 students. Brooklyn Law School's faculty includes 60 full-time faculty, 15 emeriti faculty, and a number of adjunct faculty. Brookly ...

. After law school, Blanche was a prosecutor in New York's Southern District and co-chief of its violent crimes unit and the White Plains, New York division. He worked on cases related to bank and wire fraud, public corruption, and

racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. Originally and of ...

. Blanche was later employed by the law firm

WilmerHale Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, also known as Hale & Dorr and WilmerHale, is an international law firm with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. It is co-headquartered in Washington, D.C. and Boston. It was formed in 2004 thr ...

. From September 2017 to April 2023, Blanche was a partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. He represented clients including

Igor Fruman Igor Fruman (born 1966) is a Soviet-born American businessman. He is an associate of Rudy Giuliani who, along with Lev Parnas, allegedly aided in a search in Ukraine for detrimental information on U.S. President Donald Trump's political opponen ...

and

Paul Manafort Paul John Manafort Jr. (; born April 1, 1949) is an American lobbyist, political consultant, and attorney. A long-time Republican Party campaign consultant, he chaired the Trump presidential campaign from June to August 2016. Manafort served ...

during the latter's 2016 fraud trial. Blanche left the firm and founded Blanche Law to represent former U.S. president Donald Trump. He is a defense attorney in the 2024 criminal trial of Donald Trump. Following Trump's May 30, 2024 conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, Blanche stated Trump's defense team plans to appeal the verdict.

Personal life

Blanche is married. His wife is a medical doctor. The couple has two children. Blanche has completed two Ironman triathlons. In 2023, Blanche was a registered

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

in New York. In 2024, Blanche purchased a home in

Palm Beach County, Florida Palm Beach County is a county located in the southeastern part of Florida and lies directly north of Broward County and Miami-Dade County. The county had a population of 1,492,191 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous county ...

and registered as a Republican voter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanche, Todd Donald Trump attorneys Living people Place of birth missing (living people) 1974 births American University School of Public Affairs alumni Brooklyn Law School alumni Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr associates Paralegals New York (state) Democrats Florida Republicans 21st-century American lawyers American prosecutors American male triathletes People from Palm Beach County, Florida