Bloch & White LLP

Bloch & White LLP is a boutique litigation firm with a broad focus on civil rights, white-collar criminal defense, and commercial litigation. Founded by New York litigators Michael Bloch and Benjamin White in 2022, the firm centers on high-impact work and relentless advocacy for clients. In just its third year of operations, the firm has already experienced significant success for its broad base of clients, including key and influential victories in federal and state courts at both the trial and appellate levels. Bloch & White is devoted to providing top-flight, efficient, and client-centered representation, serving its clients and the community with passion and integrity.

More information about the firm, its mission, and recent work can be found at www.blochwhite.com.

Bloch & White was co-founded in 2022 by Michael Bloch and Benjamin White.

Michael is an accomplished trial attorney with an unparalleled record of courtroom success. He was one of the lead attorneys in Sines v. Kessler, the historic federal civil rights lawsuit brought against the neo-Nazis and white supremacists who conspired to commit racially-motivated violence in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017. The four-week jury trial resulted in a $26 million judgment for Michael’s clients. In 2023, the case was the focus of an HBO Original documentary, “No Accident,” which stars Michael and chronicles the years-long efforts of the legal team to develop and deploy a strategy to hold white supremacist organizers accountable and to put hate on trial. In 2024, “No Accident” was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary. Mike was also lead trial counsel in Fraser v. City of New York, a federal civil rights wrongful conviction case in the Southern District of New York which resulted in an April 2023 jury finding defendants liable on all claims and awarding Bloch & White’s client nearly $2 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

Michael is also a uniquely accomplished criminal defense attorney, with a focus on white-collar criminal defense and investigations. He represents clients in federal court and state court and, in addition to his retained matters, takes court-appointed cases as a member of the Southern District of New York’s Criminal Justice Act Panel. Prior to launching Bloch & White LLP, Michael practiced at Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP, where he represented individuals under investigation by state and federal regulatory agencies. He also led numerous plaintiff-side matters, including the Charlottesville litigation. Before Kaplan Hecker, Michael spent over seven years as a public defender at the Bronx Defenders and three years doing commercial litigation at Williams & Connolly LLP. Michael is a 2005 graduate of Harvard Law School and clerked for the Hon. Diane P. Wood of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the Hon. Helen G. Berrigan, Chief Judge of the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Benjamin White is a seasoned litigator with a lengthy track record of successfully litigating high-stakes, complex, and cutting-edge commercial disputes, appeals, and public interest cases. Ben has extensive experience litigating these types of matters in federal and state courts. His commercial clients have included major financial and investment advisory firms, growth stage start-ups, multinational unicorn tech companies, several Fortune 500 institutions, and both plaintiffs and defendants in whistleblower actions. In addition to litigating the Charlottesville and Fraser trials to plaintiffs’ verdicts alongside Mike, Ben has had multiple significant victories on behalf of clients on appeal, including securing a recent October 2024 ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit unanimously reversing the trial court’s dismissal of his client’s habeas corpus petition. For his work, Ben was named a 2024 and 2025 Rising Star in connection with the New York Law Journal’s prestigious Annual Professional Excellence Awards, and was named one of Crain's New York Business's 2025 Notable Litigators & Trial Attorneys.

Before Bloch & White LLP, Ben practiced at Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP, where he represented clients in disputes concerning complex commercial transactions, securities laws, civil rights laws, the U.S. Constitution, federal and state whistleblower statutes, and more. Before Kaplan Hecker, Ben spent two years as a litigation associate at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, where he litigated complex securities matters. Ben is a 2013 graduate of Harvard Law School and clerked for the Hon. Barrington D. Parker, Jr. and the Hon. John M. Walker, Jr., both of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the Hon. Charles S. Haight, Jr. of the Southern District of New York (by designation in the District of Connecticut).

The Bloch & White team also includes counsel Deborah Frankel, associates Cristina Alvarez, Catherine Willett, and Kyle Bigley, Director of Operations and Case Management Anna Kate Cannon, and paralegal Emma Stern.

Deborah is an experienced litigator with a record of vigorous advocacy on behalf of her clients. Prior to joining Bloch & White, she spent six years at Brooklyn Defender Services, where she represented hundreds of clients in family court proceedings and regularly obtained successful outcomes on motions to dismiss, after trial, and through mediation and negotiation. She was also a supervisor in the Family Defense Practice, supervising trials and a team of staff attorneys. Prior to joining BDS, Deborah was in private practice for six years, first at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and then at Petrillo Klein & Boxer LLP, where she focused primarily on white collar defense. Deborah graduated from the New York University School of Law in 2012 and currently serves as a member of the advisory board of the Family Defense Practice of Brooklyn Defender Services.

Cristina is a senior associate who focuses her practice on civil rights litigation, criminal defense, and commercial litigation. Cristina is a 2018 graduate from Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, a Managing Editor of the Columbia Law Review, and a member of the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic. She clerked for the Hon. Mary H. Murguia, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the Hon. Analisa Torres of the Southern District of New York. Prior to her clerkships, Cristina was an associate at an elite international law firm, where she gained trial and appellate experience and litigated cases in both federal and state court. During this time, Cristina worked on commercial cases and government investigations for an array of clients, including international media and technology companies.

Catherine is a 2022 graduate from Harvard Law School and clerked for the Hon. Denise Cote of the Southern District of New York and the Hon. Rowan Wilson of the New York Court of Appeals. During law school, she worked at Harvard’s Prison Legal Assistance Project, was a member of the Employment Law Clinic, and served as an Outside Article Editor for the Civil Rights – Civil Liberties Law Review. She also served as a teaching fellow in Contracts, Reconstruction Originalism, and Legislation and Regulation, and was a research assistant to Professors Lawrence Lessig and Nancy Gertner.

Kyle is a 2022 graduate from Yale Law School and clerked for the Hon. Robert D. Sack of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Hon. Frederic Block of the Eastern District of New York. Before clerking, Kyle served as the litigation fellow at Katz Banks Kumin LLP, where he practiced plaintiff-side employment and other civil rights law. During law school, Kyle served as a research assistant to Professors Amy Kapczynski, Douglas Kysar, and John Fabian Witt and as executive editor of the Yale Law & Policy Review.

Anna Kate, a 2021 graduate of Harvard College, was the firm's first paralegal and was promoted to Director in 2025. Before joining Bloch & White, she was a Humanities Fellow at the Dumbarton Oaks Humanities Institute and Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Anna Kate previously interned with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas and held multiple academic research positions through the Summer Humanities and Arts Research Program, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and the Harvard History Department.

Emma is a 2021 graduate of Wesleyan College and joined the firm in 2025. Before joining the firm, she worked for the Court Operations team at Brooklyn Justice Initiatives, under the Center for Justice Innovation. As an undergraduate, she interned with the Vera Institute of Justice, as well as for Congressman Cedric Richmond. Upon graduation, she spent a year teaching English at l’Universite Paris Est-Creteil in France.

Appeals

Bloch & White attorneys have a depth of experience successfully litigating high-stakes appeals in state and federal courts, at all levels and in all types of matters. The firm’s attorneys have litigated appeals that have protected clients’ interests in billion-dollar cases, successfully advocated for important criminal justice principles, vindicated critical constitutional rights, and supported key legal interests in amicus (“friend of the court”) briefs before the United States Supreme Court and elsewhere.

Civil Rights, Public Interest, & Impact Litigation

Bloch & White has significant experience fighting for those whose fundamental rights have been violated, including victims of police and prosecutorial misconduct and racially motivated violence. The firm’s civil rights practice takes on all forms of constitutional violations wherever they occur, including discrimination, wrongful convictions, police misconduct, and other government overreach. The firm was launched in part to litigate high-impact public interest matters, including in the spheres of political extremism, criminal justice reform, gun violence, and many others.

Commercial Litigation

Bloch & White attorneys have years of experience litigating complex commercial disputes representing the most sophisticated of clients, including the world’s largest financial institutions, investment funds, growth stage start-ups, unicorn technology companies, corporate executives, government contractors, and others. Bloch & White’s attorneys are experienced in litigating nearly all types of complex commercial disputes, including securities litigation, corporate disputes, regulatory actions, M&A litigation, whistleblower actions, and many more.

White-Collar Criminal Defense & Investigations

Bloch & White has substantial experience representing individuals investigated for and charged with all levels of criminal offenses in both state and federal court, from misdemeanors to the most serious felony charges. The firm also represents witnesses compelled to produce documents or provide testimony in criminal and/or regulatory investigations at the state and federal level.

Trials & Trial Support

As trial lawyers with significant courtroom experience, Bloch & White’s attorneys are available to assist clients or other attorneys in preparing for or conducting trials in any capacity, including litigating dispositive motions, taking depositions, drafting briefs, or co-counseling cases headed to trial.

Bloch & White is located at 90 Broad Street, Suite 703, New York, NY 10004.

For more information on how Bloch & White may serve you, please contact [email protected] or contact Michael Bloch ([email protected]) or Benjamin White ([email protected]) directly.

www.blochwhite.com