Our founding partner and dear friend, Alan William French, passed at the age of 35 on January 13, 2000, after valiantly fighting a rare form of cancer for four years. We are honored to have kept his name as part of our legacy as his memory continues to inspire us.
Alan grew up in Tucson, where he excelled in sports, one of the joys of his life. He participated in the Youth Football League and went on to become a member of the Junior Varsity Football and the Varsity Soccer team (of which he was co-captain) at Canyon del Oro High School. He was also the Salutatorian of his class.
Alan attended the University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA on an academic scholarship, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/ Finance in 1986. He earned his Juris Doctor degree at Boston University School of Law, Boston, MA, where he graduated Cum Laude in 1989 and was an editor of the Annual Review of Banking Law (1988-1990).
Alan was a well-respected member of the San Diego business law community. Alan started his career as an attorney with Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton of San Diego, one of California’s largest law offices, where he practiced for three years before co-founding his own firm, Blanchard, Krasner & French.
His expertise in the fields of banking law, government regulation and real estate, combined with tireless efforts and high ethical standards, helped propel Blanchard, Krasner & French from a small start-up to one of La Jolla’s most prominent law firms.
Alan was a member of the American Bar Association, State Bar of California, San Diego County Bar Association, the Community Associations Institute, and the American Cancer Society, La Jolla Chapter.
In 1991, Alan married Amy Tudisco, his childhood sweetheart and the love of his life. They have three children, in whom he found his greatest delight and to whom he gave his infinite love and wisdom.
As a father, Alan’s love of sports took on a whole new dimension. He coached his son Ryan in the 1999 La Jolla Youth Baseball spring season while battling cancer. He also coached Ryan and the team through an undefeated season in the La Jolla Youth Soccer League.
Alan’s enthusiasm and dedication to the children in the midst of his own personal pain and struggle will forever inspire all those who shared in it. He will be remembered for his indomitable spirit, strength, courage, and exuberance for life, which he shared with all those he loved and who loved him.
