Steven A. Block

Steven Block is a Chambers-rated former federal prosecutor and experienced trial lawyer who 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. Clients and peers have described Mr. Block as "an extremely talented lawyer" who "is smart and levelheaded with excellent judgment."

Referred to in Chambers as a "great advocate for his clients" who is "very deliberate in choosing strategies," Mr. Block represents corporations and executives in investigations conducted by the FBI, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), offices of inspector general and other federal and state agencies. In addition to representing targets and subjects in criminal and regulatory investigations, Mr. Block has represented key witnesses during investigations and high-profile trials in cases involving public corruption, financial crimes and securities fraud. He has conducted internal investigations on a wide range of subjects, including allegations of bid rigging, government contracting fraud, bribery and insider trading.

During his almost 10 years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Mr. Block 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 crimes 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 SEC and other regulatory enforcement agencies.

Mr. Block served as a deputy chief in the U.S. Attorney's Office, where he trained and supervised junior prosecutors, including approving charging decisions and developing trial strategy. He also taught courses on investigating and prosecuting financial crimes to prosecutors and investigators in Eastern Europe as part of the DOJ's Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT).

Additionally, Mr. Block served as chief of the Special Prosecutions Bureau in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, where he supervised more than 70 prosecutors and investigators handling cases involving racketeering, public corruption, financial crimes, law enforcement misconduct and violent crimes such as murder. As chief, Mr. Block had ultimate responsibility for all charging decisions and plea agreements in cases within the bureau. Mr. Block is among the few white collar practitioners in Chicago who have had recent senior supervisory experience as both a federal and state prosecutor.

Mr. Block devotes substantial time to community service each month through his involvement on public boards. In 2021, Gov. JB Pritzker appointed Mr. Block to the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission, a state commission that investigates claims that torture was used to obtain confessions leading to criminal convictions and, where warranted, provides those claimants a means to obtain additional judicial review. Also in 2021, Mr. Block was appointed by then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot to serve on the Chicago Police Board, an independent civilian body that decides serious disciplinary cases involving Chicago police officers and adopts rules and regulations for the governance of the Chicago Police Department.