On June 26, 2003, President George W. Bush nominated Scott J. Bloch
for the position of Special Counsel of the Office of Special Counsel.
The U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Mr. Bloch on December 9, 2003. On
January 5, 2004, he was sworn in to serve a five year term at OSC.
Mr. Bloch brings over 17 years of experience to OSC in litigation of
employment, lawyer ethics, and complex cases before state courts,
federal courts and administrative tribunals. Bloch has briefed and
argued cases before state and federal appellate courts.
From 2001-2003, Bloch served as Associate Director and then Deputy
Director and Counsel to the Task Force for Faith-based and Community
Initiatives at the U.S. Department of Justice where he worked on First
Amendment cases, regulations, intergovernmental outreach, and
programmatic initiatives. Prior to serving in DOJ, he was a Partner with
Stevens & Brand, LLP, of Lawrence, KS, where he practiced in the areas
of civil rights law, employment law, personal injury, appellate law, and
legal ethics. Mr. Bloch tried jury trials before state and federal
courts, representing employees and employers in whistleblower and other
retaliation claims, as well as civil rights claims. He worked on
important cases that set precedents in the area of lawyer ethics,
including a ground-breaking Texas case that changed the way wealthy
plaintiff’s lawyers handle mass tort cases.
Mr. Bloch volunteered as Chair of his county Bar Ethics and Grievance
Committee, investigating cases of alleged lawyer ethics breaches and
making recommendations to the state Supreme Court concerning discipline
of attorneys. He also served on the state board of discipline, hearing
testimony and legal arguments, and making findings on appropriate
discipline of attorneys. For five years, he served as an Adjunct
Professor at the University of Kansas School of Law.
Mr. Bloch earned his bachelor's and law degree from the University of
Kansas where he graduated Order of the Coif and served on the Board of
Editors of The Kansas Law Review as well as on the Board of Editors of
The Kansas Criminal Procedure Review.
He resides with his wife, Catherine, and their seven children in
Alexandria, VA.
|