Block & Associates, LLC

Firm structure and client base

The firm dates its formation to 2018. Block & Associates, LLC is a woman-owned and managed law firm in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its website reports an eight-attorney team and a client base of more than 200.

The firm represents large companies, privately held businesses, nonprofits, government entities and individuals. Its clients work in real estate, technology, financial services, pharmaceuticals, higher education and manufacturing. The listed sectors also include retail, arts and entertainment, and professional services.

This client mix places business matters at the center of much of the firm's work. Companies and nonprofit groups often need advice that touches several legal fields at once. A contract dispute may raise employment, tax, governance or insurance questions, while a planned transaction may require due diligence and new business documents.

Corporate transactions and business planning

Block & Associates handles business formation, entity structuring, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence and governance. The firm also drafts business documents. These services match the directory categories of business law, business formation, and mergers and acquisitions.

Formation work usually begins with the owners' plans for control, funding and future growth. The selected entity can affect taxes, management rights and the handling of ownership changes. Governing documents then record the rules that owners and managers will use when making decisions.

Mergers and acquisitions involve a different set of tasks. Buyers commonly examine contracts, liabilities, ownership records and other business documents during due diligence. The parties then use purchase agreements and related documents to define the assets or interests involved, the closing terms and their duties after the transaction.

Contracts and succession issues

Business document drafting can cover agreements used in daily operations as well as records tied to a particular deal. Careful drafting helps identify payment terms, performance duties, approval rights and procedures for handling disputes. The firm's listed work in governance and structuring also addresses how a business operates internally.

Business succession planning connects corporate, tax and estate concerns. Owners may need to decide who will hold an interest, how control will pass and what documents will govern the transfer. The firm's website expressly includes business succession planning among its services.

Litigation, employment and construction matters

The litigation practice covers breach of contract, commercial torts, business breakups, insurance coverage, trade secret theft and boundary disputes. This is a varied civil litigation docket with a strong business component. In my opinion, the published list gives prospective clients a useful picture of the disputes the firm accepts.

A contract case usually turns on the agreement, the parties' conduct and the claimed loss. Counsel may review contracts, correspondence, invoices and records of performance before filing or answering a complaint. Discovery can include written questions, document exchanges and testimony under oath, followed by motions, settlement discussions or trial.

Commercial tort and trade secret claims may require close attention to business records and access to confidential material. Business breakup cases can involve ownership rights, company finances and governance documents. Insurance coverage disputes often center on policy language, notice of a claim and the insurer's stated position.

Employment counseling and disputes

The employment practice includes contracts, workplace counseling and internal investigations. Block & Associates also handles litigation involving harassment, discrimination and retaliation. Those matters may concern company policies, communications, personnel records and accounts from employees or managers.

Internal investigations generally require a defined issue, document collection and interviews with people who have relevant knowledge. The person directing the inquiry must also consider confidentiality, record preservation and the decision-maker who will receive the findings. Workplace counseling may address an active concern or help an employer prepare policies and agreements.

Construction contracts and claims

The firm advises on construction contracts and disputes. Construction matters can involve owners, contractors, subcontractors and other project participants. The governing contract often controls payment duties, change procedures, deadlines and the method for raising a claim.

Records play a central role when a construction dispute develops. Relevant materials may include the signed contract, change orders, project communications, invoices, schedules and photographs. The firm's stated combination of contract services and dispute work covers both document preparation and contested matters in this field.

Tax, estate and nonprofit services

Tax planning and audit support appear among the firm's stated services. Tax planning often depends on the client's entity, proposed transaction and reporting duties. Audit support generally involves reviewing notices, gathering records and addressing questions raised by the taxing authority.

The tax work also connects naturally with business formation, corporate transactions and succession planning. A choice about ownership or deal structure can carry tax effects alongside its business terms. Clients may need those subjects considered within the same planning process.

Estate planning, probate, estate administration and guardianship work form another part of the practice. Estate planning commonly involves instructions for property, authority during incapacity and the people selected for fiduciary roles. Probate and estate administration focus on court filings, asset records, creditor matters and distributions under a will or governing law.

Legal work for nonprofit clients

Nonprofit law is a separate listed practice area, and nonprofit groups also appear in the firm's reported client base. These entities often work under governing documents that assign authority to boards and officers. Their legal needs may include corporate records, contracts, employment concerns and tax questions.

Government entities are another stated client category. The website also reports work for individuals and businesses of different types. That range provides context for the firm's mix of advisory, transactional and dispute-related services.

Attorney roster and dispute resolution

The website names Beverly A. Block, Holly S. McCann, Corinne McGinley Smith and Marcie J. Solomon as attorneys. It also names George Thompson, Zack Block, Julianne C. Beil and Dan Matesic. Together, these names account for the eight-attorney team reported on the home page.

Dispute resolution is listed alongside the firm's litigation services. Mediation gives the parties a structured setting for settlement discussions with a neutral person. Early neutral evaluation allows a neutral evaluator to assess disputed issues at an earlier point in the matter.

These processes can address business and employment disputes without changing the parties' ability to prepare their legal positions. They may involve written submissions, joint discussions and private meetings with the neutral. The firm's website states that Beverly Block provides mediation and early neutral evaluation for business and employment disputes.