Former federal prosecutor and seasoned trial lawyer Steven A. Block has joined Holland & Knight’s Litigation Section as a partner in Chicago. Mr. Block joins the firm from Thompson Hine, where he served as a vice chair of the litigation department and member of the government enforcement, internal investigations and white collar defense group.
Mr. Block represents companies and individuals in complex civil litigation and criminal and regulatory matters. He also conducts sensitive internal investigations for corporations, boards of directors and government entities.
“Steven’s range of trial experience during his time as a federal prosecutor as well as his strong reputation for handling white collar defense and investigations work will be a tremendous asset to the firm,” said Timothy Ray, head of the Chicago Litigation Practice. “We are excited to have him on board.”
Mr. Block is the second litigator to join Holland & Knight’s Chicago office this month, following experienced litigator Romeo Quinto. In addition, highly regarded corporate attorneys Paul Hogan, Matthew Petersen, Morley Fortier III and Andrew McCune have all joined the Chicago office since December as part of the firm’s strategy to continue to grow and strengthen its presence in the region.
Mr. Block previously clerked for Judge Matthew F. Kennelly in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and then served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Deputy Chief with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. During his time as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, he tried numerous cases to verdict, investigated and prosecuted hundreds of cases involving a wide range of criminal offenses, and briefed and argued nine cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He focused primarily on investigating and prosecuting complex financial crime and public corruption cases, including bribery, embezzlement, racketeering, Bank Secrecy Act, bankruptcy fraud, tax evasion, insider trading and complex wire and mail fraud cases. Several of these matters involved parallel civil proceedings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other regulatory enforcement agencies.
“Holland & Knight’s concerted effort to continue to grow its team of attorneys in the Chicago office is energizing, and I could not pass up the opportunity to be a part of this impressive group,” said Mr. Block. “I know that being in this collaborative environment will be a perfect fit for me, and I look forward to contributing to the growth of the firm’s national Litigation Practice.”
Mr. Block received a J.D. degree from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and a B.S. degree from Northwestern University.
