Michael N. Block

For more than three decades, he has been general counsel to the Uniformed Firefighters Association, the 8,000-member labor union for New York City firefighters, and his expertise has helped firefighters recover hundreds of millions of dollars in personal injury claims. Mr. Block’s work extends from New York City to Albany and Washington, where he has been a forceful advocate with state and federal officials on behalf of firefighters and their families. In the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he successfully fought for passage of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, and he headed a pro bono team from Sullivan Papain that recovered more than $260 million from the fund on behalf of firefighters and their families. On a daily basis, New York firefighters and their union rely upon Mr. Block’s counsel. And he has helped shape a body of law to help compensate firefighters and their families for the harm they have suffered through the fault of others.