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WE ARE A CHICAGO LAW FIRM COMMITTED TO UNDERSTANDING OUR CLIENTS' NEEDS AND PROVIDING UNPARALLED SERVICE IN MEETING THEIR HIGHEST EXPECTATIONS. |
ABOUT OUR FIRM
We are an aggressive civil litigation firm, founded in 1958 as
Block & Levy. We represent individuals and businesses, both as
plaintiffs and as defendants, in litigation and transactional
matters. From Illinois State courts to the United States Supreme
Court, we have vigorously represented our clients and have an
outstanding trial and appellate history. We are a tenacious law
firm and have distinguished ourselves among both large and smaller
law firms in Chicago and the surrounding communities. 
ALVIN W. BLOCK Al Block has been practicing law for over forty years. He has
tried, literally, hundreds of cases, and participated in countless
appeals. A graduate of Roosevelt University (B.S.C., 1954) and
John Marshall Law School (J.D., 1956), Al is admitted to practice
before the United States Supreme Court, the Illinois Supreme Court,
the United States Court of Appeals For The Seventh Circuit, the
United States Court Of Claims, the United States Court Of Military
Appeals, and the United States District Court For The Northern
District Of Illinois, where he is a member of the Trial Bar. Al
is also a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Association
of Trial Lawyers of America, and The Decalogue Society Of Lawyers. Al's practice is focused on civil trials and alternative dispute
resolution-trying and settling cases is his passion. Like any
seasoned trial lawyer, Al prides himself on his success with injuries
and judges. But he understands that most cases are resolved without
trial, and has developed unique and creative approaches to settlement
--- from minor business disputes, to major class actions. Unlike
many lawyers who concentrate in alternative dispute resolution,
however, Al is already ready to go to trial if the negotiations
fail. BERNARD N. BLOCK Bernie was born in Evanston, Illinois in 1957. He has a Bachelor
of Science degree in Business Administration from Drake University
in Iowa and a Juris Doctor degree (1984) from The John Marshall
Law School in Chicago. He is admitted to the State of Illinois
Bar and is also licensed to practice before the U.S. District
Court, Northern District of Illinois, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
He is a member of the Federal Trial Bar, as well as a member of
the Chicago Bar Association, American Trail Lawyers Association,
Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and the Decalogue Society
of Lawyers. Bernie's litigation experience includes General Aviation, serious
injury, wrongful death, business disputes and consumer class action
cases. His non-litigation work includes business representation,
secured asset financing and most aspects of Chicago Taxicab law.
Prior to practicing law Bernie was a union member for 15 years.
He is a lifelong Illinois resident and has been with the firm
since 1986. EDWARD A. COHEN Ed Cohen is a native Chicagoan born in 1955. He received his degree
in business management from Northern Illinois University in 1976
and graduated from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan,
in 1980. Ed was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1981 and
since that time, has been a member of the Illinois State Bar Association
and the Chicago Bar Association. In 1987, Ed was admitted to the
federal trial bar and was admitted to practice before the United
States Supreme Court in 1994. Ed's litigation practice is concentrated in the areas of business
and probate matters. Ed was instrumental in causing the City of
Chicago taxi law to be struck down as unconstitutional. (See 'Reported
Cases' Web Page.) Due to Ed's expanding role in the firm's business
and real estate transactional matters, he has become active in
the Chicago Bar Association's corporate and business law committee
and just recently, he received his Certificate of Registration
from the Illinois Director of Financial Institutions for his title
insurance work. When Ed is not in court or involved in his numerous
business transactions, you can find him on the tennis court or
the Colorado ski slopes. JEROME BOYLE A native Chicagoan, Jerry Boyle comes from a family of Irish-American
lawyers. Like his father before him, Jerry graduated from Loyola
University of Chicago, with a degree in Political Science. He
then graduated from the University of Illinois College of Law,
where he studied under his brother, who is a Professor there.
Jerry is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court Of The
United States, the Supreme Court of Illinois, the United States
Court of Appeals For The Seventh Circuit, and the United States
District Court For The Northern District of Illinois, where he
is a member of the Trial Bar. He also completed an intensive professional
training program in the art and skills of trial advocacy at The
National Institute For Trial Advocacy. Jerry concentrates on civil trial and appellate practice. He has
tried many cases, and participated in numerous appeals. His focus
is on: (1) class actions, (2) business disputed, and (3) serious
injury cases. He is also actively involved in legal affairs, belonging
to the Chicago and American Bar Associations, and the Appellate
Lawyers Association of Illinois. Jerry also serves the community
at large as Counsel to the Institute For Economic Justice, Secretary
of the Irish Immigration Service, and as a member of the Rotary
Club/Chicago-Midwest. EARL A. PETERSON Earl was born in Oklahoma City in 1962. Though he spent many years
living abroad in Japan, Canada, the Netherlands, and England,
he now calls Chicago home. After receiving a B.A. in 1985 from
Rice University in Houston, TX, Earl spent several years in graduate
studies in anthropology and archaeology at Syracuse University
in New York, and at the University of Bradford in England. Prior
to studying law at IIT/Chicago-Kent College if Law, Earl worked
as an archaeologist on both the east and west coasts. Following
the receipt of his J.D. from Kent in 1995, and his admission to
the Illinois state and U.S. District Court bars in 1995, Earl
joined this firm as an associate, having first clerked here during
his final year in school. Earl is a member of Phi Alpha Delta,
the Federalist Society, and the Chicago Bar Association, where
he is a member of the International & Foreign Law, Creative Arts
Law, and Law in Sports and Recreation committees. Earl's practice focuses on civil litigation including plaintiff's
personal injury work, both plaintiff and defense sides of contract
and commercial disputes, and class actions. Earl was admitted
in 1997 to the U.S. Seventh Circuit bar, and works in the firm's
appellate practice as well. In addition to his interest in archaeology,
Earl volunteers with the Downers Grove South High School Marching
Mustangs color guard (because his wife is the director!), has
a garage full of sporting equipment, as many boats as he has appendages,
and is into adventure sports, plays a mean game of squash! RAYMOND P. SCHMITZ Ray Schmitz holds a BA in political science from Northwestern
University (1989) and a JD from DePaul Univeristy College of Law
(1992). Ray has maintained membership and leadership roles in
numerous legal and artistic organizations including the Chicago
Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the American
Bar Association, Phi Alpha Delta, Phi Mu Alpha, Kappa Alpha Pi,
the Bohemian Lawyers' Association of Chicago, Lawyers for the
Creative Arts, Whirwind, the Music Center of the North Shore,
the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and the Jazz
Institute of Chicago. Ray's litigation practice consists of general civil trial and
appellate work, including class actions and a broad range of tort
and commercial matters. His transactional practice includes real
estate, basic estate planning, and all aspects of contract negotiation,
drafting, and interpretation. He currently heads the firm's family
law practice and is expanding his focus on arts, entertainment,
and media law, an area in which he has a personal interest as
professional saxophonist and frequent speaker and writer. 
Alvin W. Block
CONCENTRATION: Civil Trial Practice; Class Actions; Chancery and
Special Remedies.
Bernard N. Block
CONCENTRATION: General aviation civil Litigation; consumer class
actions; secured asset financing; Chicago Taxi Law.
Jerome E. Boyle
CONCENTRATION: Complex (Commercial and Tort) Trials and Appellate
Practice; Chancery and Class Actions.
Edward A. Cohen
CONCENTRATION: Business & Commercial Litigation; Probate Litigation;
Consumer Class Actions; Real Estate and Business Transactions
Earl A. Peterson
CONCENTRATION: Personal Injury Litigation; Commercial and contract
disputes; class actions.
Raymond P. Schmitz
CONCENTRATION: Entertainment/Arts/Media Law; Family Law.
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
33 North La Salle Street
30th Floor
Chicago, Ill 60602
(312) 346-5656
E-mail: block@mcs.net
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