Renowned attorney Joe Klock, who argued Bush v. Gore, dies at 77. He lived to serve

Susan Klock remembers how proud she felt when she watched her father, Joseph P. “Joe” Klock, argue before the U.S. Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore, the landmark case that decided the outcome of the 2000 presidential election.

Susan was a freshman at Georgetown when she witnessed Klock argue on behalf of the Florida secretary of state, who called the election in Florida for Bush. Arguing before the nation’s highest court is one of the biggest feats a lawyer can accomplish, but it was just one of many in Klock’s life.

The Coral Gables attorney died Oct. 4 at age 77, surrounded by his family.

“He was larger than life,” Susan, 44, said. “He was very proud of my sister and brothers. He loved his grandchildren.”

Looking back at her father’s life, Klock’s daughter recalled how she and her siblings often hung out at Klock’s Miami office at Hector Steele and Davis, a high-powered law firm where he was once the head honcho. Her job, she said, was to feed Igor, the massive shredding machine, and to make sure the office fish stayed alive.

“He was always very, very busy,” Susan said. “I spent a lot of my life on the floor of his office. To spend time with my dad was to spend time in the office.”

Over decades in South Florida, Klock earned a reputation as a formidable advocate, a mentor to younger lawyers and a steadfast supporter of the community.

Klock, who was most recently a partner at Rasco Klock in Coral Gables, once chaired Bay Point Schools, a program for at-risk youth. He dedicated himself to giving back to the community, representing indigent clients in criminal, dependency, housing and discrimination cases. He also served on several community boards and had a passion for seeking solutions related to rehabilitation, mental health and substance abuse treatment in the justice system.

Klock was born and raised in Philadelphia. He was one of eight children, and the only son in his family. He graduated from La Salle University with a degree in philosophy in 1970 and from the University of Miami School of Law in 1973. He was admitted to the Florida Bar that same year.

“Joe was a force of nature for good,” said Thomas Eagan, Klock’s longtime friend. “He changed things for the better, and in my opinion, we will not see the likes of him in our lifetimes again.”

As Susan and her siblings grew up, Klock welcomed a “revolving door of kids” to their home. She recalls, at one point, Klock enrolling a child from the Dominican Republic in a private school in South Florida. Susan said the family met the child at the airport, where he helped travelers with their bags to make money.

Klock’s giving spirit, his daughter said, was linked to a childhood aspiration: He wanted to be a priest. She said he lived by the biblical mantra “to whom much is given, much is expected.”

“That’s the kind of man my dad was,” Susan Klock said. “You can’t just sit on the sidelines. You have to help people, volunteer and donate.”

Eagan said he and Klock shared a commitment to education and community service, serving together on the board of Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart and working on projects to expand and improve the school. Their friendship spanned about 50 years, marked by a tradition of meeting for breakfast after church on Sundays. They continued their ritual until just weeks before Klock’s death.

Eagan viewed Klock as a mentor — not just to young lawyers but to young people generally, driven by what he called a “mission of service.”

“He understood that we’re here to serve one another, and to apply the talents that God has given,” Eagan said. “Joe immediately, when we were much younger, clearly understood that and lived his life that way.”

Klock aimed to bring people together and help others, and much of the good happened quietly, said his son Nathaniel “Nate” Payne Klock, 24. Klock used to say, “You can tell a person’s character not by what they do when everyone is watching, but by what they do when no one is.”

Because of Klock’s dedication to service, more than 100 of the children Klock helped when he was chair of Bay Point are alive, Nate said. Klock refused to give up on them, looking past what they had done and focused on who they could become.

“He didn’t just help people. He wanted to understand them,” Nate said. “And because he did, the world is a little better than he found it.”

Most recently, Klock was able to see Nate, who Klock adopted, graduate from St. Thomas University College of Law. Nate passed the Florida Bar this summer, and Susan recalled how she wore Nate’s graduation robe to swear him in.

Nate recalled how Klock brought him into his home when he was around 10 years old. Klock, Nate said, showed up for him, attending every one of his football games despite Klock never caring much for sports. Klock, Nate said, began to learn the game because father wanted to understand son’s passion.

“From the start he taught me to live by his code: Be curious, not judgmental,” Nate said. “He tried to understand people when no one else would. He gave people second chances, even the ones who had let him down. He believed in people long after others had given up on them.”

Nate said Klock, who was white, would introduce Nate, who is Black, as his son, which often left people perplexed. But he never shied away.

“I was his son, and that was the end of the conversation,” Nate said. “He showed me that you don’t let other people’s discomfort decide who your family is.”

Reflecting on her childhood, Susan laughed as she recounted how her father would announce that he was off to the movie theater in five minutes, leading the kids to scramble to get in the car in time. She also said her father, who was allergic to cats, threatened to get rid of Mosquito, a kitten she had snuck into their home.

But his threats were empty, Susan said. Their home was like a zoo, filled with dogs, cats and even iguanas.

“My dad liked to talk tough,” she said.

Susan, who is a partner at Klock’s law firm, said she either saw her father daily or spoke to him every day. She recalled how, more than a decade ago when he had a cardiac event, she had to ask him to go to the cardiologist as her birthday gift.

When he went to see the doctor, he ended up scrolling through his calendar and telling the doctor “next month might be good” to schedule a procedure he needed, Susan Klock recalled. He ultimately underwent the procedure that same week after Susan found a time slot in his calendar.

“He was nothing if not colorful,” she said.

The Coral Gables attorney is survived by his five children, Susan Elizabeth Klock, Robert Charles Klock, Kathleen Klock Mendez, Peter J. Klock, II and Nathaniel Malik Payne Klock, and also six grandchildren.

Joe Klock’s celebration of life will be 11:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 16 at Epiphany Catholic Church, 8235 SW 57th Ave in Miami-Dade.

This story was originally published October 11, 2026 at 5:05 AM with the headline “Renowned attorney Joe Klock, who argued Bush v. Gore, dies at 77. He lived to serve.”