Joseph P. “Joe” Klock, Jr., one of the best-known Miami trial lawyers of his generation, died on October 4, 2026, surrounded by his children.
For most of the country, Joe Klock will always be the lawyer for Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris in the 2000 presidential election litigation. He argued for the Secretary of State twice before the Supreme Court in eleven days, first on December 1, 2000, in Bush v. Palm Beach County Canvassing Board, and again on December 11 in Bush v. Gore, sharing the lectern with Ted Olson, Paul Hancock, Laurence Tribe, and David Boies. He was, for a moment, late-night TV comedy fodder because he called two Supreme Court Justices the wrong names. Afterwards, he told reporters, “I was so tired that I was happy I didn’t call one of them Justice Gore.” Joe took it all in stride and kept his sense of humor. Few lawyers anywhere have argued two Supreme Court cases in less than two weeks, let alone two that decided a presidency.
The national headlines were a sliver of the career. Joe was a Miami lawyer through and through. Born and raised in Philadelphia, his entire family (including seven younger sisters) re-located to Miami when he enrolled in law school at the University of Miami in 1970. He then spent more than three decades at Steel Hector & Davis, one of the city’s institutional firms, where he rose to managing partner and chairman. After Steel Hector merged with Squire Sanders & Dempsey in 2005, he moved to Epstein Becker & Green and, in 2009, joined Rasco Klock in Coral Gables, where he practiced until his passing. He had many clients, among them the Fanjuls, the sugar magnates. He inspired fierce loyalty and, as a result, the acronym FOJ came to be understood as Friend of Joe’s.
Joe also leaves a long legacy of work in and for the community. Putting aside his many paid cases, Joe was known for his prolific pro bono work, and he served on both the boards for Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart and Belen Jesuit Preparatory School. I know one person who, in an emergency, introduced himself to Joe and said some version of “Joe, I went to Belen and need your help.” Without more, Joe helped, and when pressed to accept compensation, merely said “pay it forward.” He is a man that did a lot of good, oftentimes without thought of lucre.
Ironically, he once had a sign that—in twisted imitation of the sign that hangs in 73 West Flagler—said “We Who Labor Here Seek Only Fees.” It was crass on the surface, but surprisingly deep. He explained that the sign was to remind his clients that the legal process was painful and should not be engaged lightly. If they asked him to, he would march to the courthouse because he was “seeking fees” but they should really reflect on what they were seeking and if it would be worth it.
He is, as far as I know, the only man my father ever envied. After a particularly long dinner sharing stories and laughs, the waiter approached Joe Klock (and not my father) to say, “Mr. Klock, is it alright with you if we close the buffet?” My father claims he was only envious for a moment, but I am not sure he ever got over it.
He leaves behind four children, Susan E. Klock, Robert C. Klock, Peter J. Klock, II, and Kathleen Mendez, with Kathleen being the only one that is not a lawyer in the community. Our condolences to his family, to his colleagues at Rasco Klock and his previous firms, and to the many lawyers who learned from him. The family has kindly allowed me to share information regarding the memorial services, and I will update this post once I have that information. Rest in Peace, Joe.
UPDATE (PLANS CHANGED): Funeral mass will be held at Church of the Epiphany, 8080 SW 54th Court, Miami, at 11:30 a.m. on October 16, 2026.
11 comments:
We will miss him. May his memory always be a Blessing and may the Lord give strength and comfort to his family and loved ones.
Lawyers like Joe Klock are a dying breed (pun intended). The practice of law is now the province of technocratic clones sitting in front of a computer using AI to do their thinking for them. The era of the outsized personality bringing a certain flair to the profession is dead (pun intended). Want a symptom? I walked down Flagler Street last week around lunchtime. Where the legal profession and its assorted hangers on populated the local eateries and coffee shops has now been replaced by something akin to a Twilight Zone episode where people have vanished, leaving nothing but cement and brick. Heck, the new courthouse might as well be named Ghost Town. Stand outside near the entrance and every 30 minutes or so you might see a lawyer walk in or out. I remember 25 years ago when I had to wait in line to get my shoes shined at 73 West Flagler. Nowadays, anyone who parks a shine box outside of the courthouse would get arrested for loitering or better yet, go broke. Yesterday ain't what it used to be.
Nice post. Joe was a complicated person and one of the real characters in the Miami legal system,
Tell me you're a Boomer without telling me you're a Boomer.
@10:44 you took the words right out of my mouth!
While all generations generally convince themselves that "the way it was" (for them) is the best way, Boomers are so sociopathic--in the literal sense of that word--that their flavor of "nostalgia" always comes off as critical, exasperated, and demeaning. And the older they get, the worse that becomes.
It's time for "bed" (pun intended), Grampa.
Joe was an amazing person. I had the pleasure of going to St. Thomas Law with his youngest son, Nate, and having plenty of thoughtful conversations with Joe. He will be missed and may he rest in peace.
Joe was an amazing person. I had the pleasure of attending St. Thomas Law with his youngest son, Nate. Joe will be missed and may God bless him and his family.
5:02- Couldn't u get into a better law school?
Really gross comment. Elitist, serves zero purpose here, and is also sad (unless you're 1-2 years out of law school, in which case it's still sad, but understandable).
And no, I'm not 5:02, or a St. Thomas grad.
10:44 and 12:55 - not to pile on, but does anyone else get the absolute ick from this white senior citizen (yes, ZERO doubts on that) basing this patronizing, nostalgic rant on concern for how courthouse shoe shiners of yesteryear could possibly be making a living these days? After a lifetime of votes for candidates at all levels of government who gave (and still give) zero F's about any of that, and which this guy doesn't really care about either except when it helps him drive home a critique about how the profession isn't the same as it was 30 years ago? Ob-nox-ious.
@12:17: OP's use of "u" as an amazing space saver for "you" would indicate your parenthetical is exactly what's going on here.
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