Derek Bluford
| Derek Bluford | |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, Author, Reentry Advocate, Legal Technology Innovator |
|---|---|
Derek Bluford is a Sacramento-based entrepreneur, author, reentry advocate, and legal technology innovator. He is the founder of the A Better Tomorrow Community (ABT Community), a nonprofit supporting individuals impacted by the criminal justice system, and the author of the book The Mighty Have Fallen (2020).
Early Career
Bluford founded QuickLegal, a legal technology startup that gained national attention for its mobile platform connecting consumers with attorneys. The company attracted coverage for its approach to democratizing legal services through technology. As part of his work in legal tech, Bluford was featured at Stanford Law School on a panel addressing the future of legal technology and law firm innovation.
His background spans entrepreneurship, operations, and finance, with a track record of building and scaling organizations across multiple industries.
Author
In 2020, Bluford published The Mighty Have Fallen, available on Amazon. The book explores themes of resilience, accountability, and personal transformation, drawing on his own experiences navigating setbacks and rebuilding.
Advocacy Work
Bluford is the founder of the A Better Tomorrow Community (ABT Community), a nonprofit organization at abtcommunity.com focused on reentry advocacy. The organization works to support formerly incarcerated individuals in transitioning back into society, connecting them with economic opportunity and community resources.
He is a vocal advocate for criminal justice reform, particularly around economic opportunity and reentry resources for justice-impacted individuals. His advocacy is rooted in direct experience with the criminal justice system and a commitment to systemic change.
Current Work
As of 2026, Bluford is completing a law degree and MBA simultaneously. He works in operations and finance at a law firm while developing plans for a legal technology coworking space in Sacramento. The concept is designed as a shared-resource hub for attorneys — modeled after co-working spaces like WeWork — offering amenities such as shared paralegals, deposition rooms, and reception services, lowering overhead costs for solo practitioners and small firms.