Jerome H. Block

Jerome (Jerry) Block is a partner at Levy Konigsberg LLP and specializes in representing people diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases including mesothelioma (a cancer caused by asbestos exposure) and lung cancer (a cancer caused by both asbestos exposure and smoking). Jerry is the only attorney in New York State to have won verdicts against both the asbestos and tobacco industries. Jerry tries his cases in courtrooms throughout the country and has successfully defended his jury verdicts on appeal in courts including the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Delaware Supreme Court. Jerry's mastery of the law and rules of evidence have resulted in an extraordinarily high winning percentage at trial and the rare distinction of never having a jury verdict reversed on appeal.

2002 - As co-trial counsel with Robert I. Komitor won a jury verdict of $19.25 Million against manufacturers of dangerous asbestos-containing cable and gaskets in a mesothelioma lawsuit;

2003 - Served as lead trial counsel in a mesothelioma lawsuit against manufacturers of asbestos-containing welding rods. The jury's verdict, the first in the nation to be leveled against the manufacturers of defective welding rods, totaled $6.65 Million.

2004 - A jury awarded two of Jerry's clients coping with mesothelioma a total of $22 Million. This was the largest compensatory verdict in the nation for an asbestos case tried in 2004, and one of the top verdicts in New York that year.

2007 - Served as lead counsel in two mesothelioma cases in which the jury awarded a total of $9 Million. These two landmark cases were the first asbestos verdicts in New York arising from the use of commercial cable, valves and steam traps.

2008 - Served as lead trial counsel on behalf of a Navy boilerman who served aboard the U.S.S. Roan in a mesothelioma lawsuit filed in Syracuse, New York. The jury returned a verdict of $5 million.

2009 - Served as co-counsel on behalf of a submarine yard worker in a mesothelioma lawsuit filed in Schenectady, New York. The jury rendered a verdict of $8 million.

2010 - Served as lead trial counsel on behalf of a mother and son who both developed mesothelioma. The case was tried in Wilmington, DE and the jury awarded the surviving family members over $1.7 Million.

2012 - Served as lead trial counsel in a historic youth smoking verdict against R.J. Reynolds on behalf of a man who developed lung cancer after beginning smoking as a teenager before warnings appeared on packs and advertising. The case was tried in federal court in White Plains, NY and the jury awarded the surviving family members over $1.3 Million.

2013 - For the second time in an eight-month period, Jerry won a landmark youth smoking verdict in federal court in White Plains, NY. This time the jury awarded $5.5 Million to the family of a man who died of lung cancer after becoming addicted as a teenager to Marlboro cigarettes manufactured and sold by Philip Morris.

2014 - Served as lead trial counsel on behalf of a welder suffering from mesothelioma in a landmark verdict against a large power company arising from exposures to asbestos during the construction of the Northport power plant in Long Island, NY. The jury found the power company 100% at fault and awarded the Long Island resident $7 Million under the New York State Labor Law.

2014 - Served as lead trial counsel on behalf of a woman who developed mesothelioma as the result of asbestos exposure from laundering the clothing of her ex-husband who worked as a mechanic at a Ford dealership. This was the first verdict in Upstate New York on behalf of a woman who developed mesothelioma from laundering a spouse's work clothing. The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, finding that Ford was 99% at fault and acted recklessly.

A highly regarded lecturer, Jerry has been invited to many national conferences where he has given presentations on topics such as Jury Trial Tactics and Asbestos Litigation. Jerry served on the national faculty of Emory School of Law's Trial Techniques Program in May 2007.

Jerry has been included in every edition of Best Lawyers in America since 2005. He has also been distinguished by Super Lawyers in New York City and has been selected to the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 List.

Prior to joining LK in 2001, Jerry worked at an international law firm where he gained valuable experience representing large corporate defendants in complex, multi-party lawsuits.

A graduate of Emory Law School, Jerry served as the "Notes and Comments" editor of the Emory Law Journal. While at Emory, he received several awards and honors, and was inducted into The Order of the Coif. After completing his law degree, Jerry worked as a law clerk for the Honorable Jean C. Hamilton of the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Missouri.

Jerry lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and three children. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Jerry remains a devoted fan of St. Louis professional sports teams.