The below is a press release prepared and distributed by The Brooklyn Law School. Read the original release.
Brooklyn, New York—November 28, 2017—The Brooklyn Law School Board of Trustees has appointed Dennis J. Block, a leading Mergers & Acquisitions attorney and distinguished alumnus, to the Board.
Mr. Block, a 1967 graduate of the Law School, is the Senior Chairman of Greenberg Traurig's Global Mergers & Acquisitions practice, and is based in the international law firm’s New York office.
A longstanding and active member of the Brooklyn Law School community, Mr. Block has provided significant philanthropic support for students and for the past 18 years has taught courses on Mergers and Acquisitions as an Adjunct Professor. The school’s Dennis J. Block Center for the Study of International Business Law is named in his honor.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Dennis to the Board of Brooklyn Law School,” said Stuart Subotnick ‘68, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. “Highly regarded across the United States and on the world stage, Dennis’ knowledge, experience and passion for the role of lawyers advances Brooklyn Law School’s 116-year commitment to preparing students for the most difficult of tomorrow’s business, economic and sociopolitical challenges.”
“I am humbled by the opportunity to serve on the Board of my alma mater, an institution that has helped shape my career and enhanced my passion for the law,” said Block. “My participation on the Board is a vehicle for me to continue to give back to an institution that gave much to me. I look forward to helping ensure that the next generation of Brooklyn Law School students have the opportunity to receive a world-class, affordable education that will prepare them for success, innovation and service to others.”
Mr. Block has earned a reputation as one of the foremost M&A lawyers in the country by advising clients on numerous precedent-setting transactions, including Pfizer Inc.'s $68 billion acquisition of Wyeth—the largest M&A transaction of 2009, for which Block was later named for the third time as an American Lawyer ‘Dealmaker of the Year,’ as well as Procter & Gamble’s acquisition of Gillette, Westinghouse's acquisition of CBS Corp., and Bear Stearns Companies Inc. acquisition by JP Morgan Chase, and numerous other high-profile deals.
Mr. Block advises a broad range of entities including companies, boards of directors, and special committees on corporate governance, M&A and related matters. Prior to entering private practice, he was a branch chief for enforcement in the New York Regional Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“With the legal marketplace becoming more complex, more global and increasingly dependent on ever-changing technologies, Dennis’s contribution to the Board will directly benefit from his years of experience working with the world’s most sophisticated and innovative companies, boards of directors and special committees on corporate governance, M&A and related matters. His perspective will be enduring and powerful,” said David Barse ’87, long-term Trustee and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committees.
Mr. Block is also an active leader in the community and has served in many notable capacities, including Chairman of the Lawyers’ Division of UJA Federation, Member of the Council of Litigation Section of the American Bar Association, Board of Trustees of the Supreme Court Historical Society and the Board of Junior Achievement of New York, among others.
“Dennis brings to the Board an uncommon blend of experience, passion and judgment,” said Nicholas Allard, President and Dean of Brooklyn Law School. “As an alumnus, an educator, and as one of the elite M&A lawyers in the country, Dennis has never lost his grounding, nor has he lost his sense of mission: To use his innate talents and learned skills to better society. The tireless, tenacious and creative approach Dennis delivers to his clients each day is what his students witness in the classroom and what our school will benefit from during his tenure on the Board.”
About Brooklyn Law School
Founded in 1901, Brooklyn Law School offers a vibrant intellectual community emphasizing teaching excellence, leading-edge scholarship, and an innovative academic program designed to prepare students for public service, business, and private practice, nationwide and across the globe. It is an independent institution, unaffiliated with any university or college, and the only law school in Brooklyn. The Law School offers students the J.D. 2-3-4 Program, with degree options that include an accelerated 2-year J.D. program, traditional 3-year program, and extended part-time 4-year program. Visit Brooklyn Law School at brooklaw.edu.