Kevin P. Block
KEVIN P. BLOCK is a litigator and transactional attorney, whose practice focuses on corporate, commercial and real estate law. Mr. Block has advised leading banks, funds and multinational corporations on a wide range of transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, commercial real estate development, and debt and equity financing. He has also represented numerous clients in international and domestic arbitration, judicial and administrative proceedings.
Among other clients, Mr. Block has acted as counsel to Deutsche Telekom, Cargill, Weyerhaeuser, Alcoa Aluminum, Daewoo, Bank of Austria, INVESCO Funds, Sea-Land, Mitsui and the late Sir James Goldsmith, as well as many small and medium-size businesses. He has served on the boards of directors of privately-held and publicly-traded companies, and has advised foreign and U.S. government agencies, state and federal, on various undertakings.
In the 1990's, Mr. Block was a partner at Holme, Roberts & Owen, a 200-lawyer international firm headquartered in Denver, Colorado. For two years, he acted as managing partner of the firm’s Kiev, Ukraine office. Before that, he practiced in Moscow and Vladivostok, Russia, where he headed an office of 15 attorneys and 30 support personnel. Mr. Block, a recognized expert in cross-border transactions with Russia and the former Soviet republics, traveled frequently to Europe and Asia to lecture and advise clients.
For many years, Mr. Block served as outside counsel to the Soros Foundation, established by philanthropist George Soros to promote democratic change in Russia and Eastern Europe. He has qualified as an expert witness on Russian banking and currency law, helping a client prevail in complex fraud litigation against Russian parties before the Alaska Supreme Court. Mr. Block recently served as lead counsel for a U.S. venture capital fund in successful arbitration proceedings against Ukraine under the auspices of the World Bank.
A native of the Napa Valley, Mr. Block returned from Europe with his family in 1998. His practice now focuses on the wine industry, with an emphasis on real estate, complex commercial transactions, and litigation and arbitration. Mr. Block represents growers, wineries and others in such diverse matters as real estate acquisitions, corporate restructuring, land use, employment, and intellectual property, and has achieved favorable litigation results for clients in breach of contract, unfair competition, easement, wrongful termination, and trademark infringement cases.
In 2003, Mr. Block was elected to a four-year term on the Napa City Council, after serving two years on the Planning Commission. As a council member, he has played a key role in numerous development projects in and around the City and in improving relations between the City and County of Napa. Mr. Block is considered a forceful advocate for the City’s economic renaissance, and has served as Vice Mayor since 2005.
Mr. Block holds degrees in law from NYU Law School, international affairs from Columbia University, and Russian language and literature from Oberlin College. He is fluent in Russian, and has published and lectured extensively on legal issues. Mr. Block lives in Napa with his wife, Tanya, and their three children.