About the Firm

Building Block Legal, PLLC started with a simple question: "Why can't the legal world be easier for people like us?"

We follow a "teach a person to fish" approach. Our job is not to get rid of risk completely. Our job is to explain it clearly so you can make smart choices that fit your goals, your values, and your vision.

Every client gets a plan built for them, not pulled from a template.

Before founding the firm, Alex de Almeida spent years as an artist and active member of creative communities. During that time, other creatives kept coming to them with legal questions about their businesses and their work. The same problem kept showing up: legal help felt out of reach, too complex, or built for someone else. Building Block Legal exists to fix that.

Who We Work With

We have worked with a wide range of creative and business clients, including visual artists and craftspeople (painters, sculptors, muralists, glass artists, ceramicists, printmakers, photographers, tattoo artists), performing artists (musicians, actors, dancers, comedians, DJs, adult entertainers), designers (graphic, fashion, jewelry, interior), digital creators (animators, filmmakers, video game developers, content creators, influencers, streamers, podcasters), writers (authors, playwrights, screenwriters, bloggers), creative businesses (galleries, art shops, boutique retailers, restaurants, event producers), and startups and tech companies.

If you're building something you care about, we're here to help. We love finding creative solutions to legal problems, especially for the people who don't fit the standard mold.

What We Do

We handle the core legal needs of creative professionals and new businesses: copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, licensing, contracts, entity formation, corporate governance, employment, and business acquisitions.

Whether you're protecting a song catalog, selling a work of art, forming your first LLC, or negotiating a major deal, we meet you where you are.

Notable Results

  • Negotiated a $100,000 single-deal performance agreement for a music client at a major venue

  • Negotiated over $500,000 in total deal value for various creative and business clients

  • Advised on business acquisition transactions

  • Published "A New Entity Option for Artists," Allegheny County Bar Association Lawyers Journal, June 2026

Our Mission

Building Block Legal is a Pittsburgh firm, and we're proud of that. This city has a long history of producing world-changing ideas and world-class art. The creative, cultural, and tech communities here are growing fast.

We want to build the legal support system that helps creators and entrepreneurs succeed here, so they don't have to leave for bigger cities to find it. When our clients grow, Pittsburgh grows.

Attorney Bios

Alexander de Almeida

Founder and Principal (They/He)

Alex is an attorney, entrepreneur, and artist. They advise creatives and founders across Pennsylvania on intellectual property, business law, contracts, and corporate matters. They also serve as Counsel at Correa Legal, LLC, where they work with growth-stage startups on corporate and securities issues.

Alex earned a joint JD/MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. On the law side, they focused on Intellectual Property and Innovation Law. On the business side, they studied Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Consulting, Sustainable Business, and Inclusive Leadership. Before law school, Alex graduated magna cum laude with a BS in Health Science and minors in Biochemistry and Microbiology. They managed over 20 active clinical cancer research trials at the National Institutes of Health and helped design a monitoring system that supported $265 million in strategic partner deals as a PhD intern at Cisco Systems, Inc.

That science and operations background shapes how Alex practices law. They bring a practical eye for complex systems, tight timelines, and real-world problem solving to every client matter.

Alex is also a glass artist with past experience in theatre carpentry and photography. They know what it's like to bring a creative vision into reality. They understand the workload of being a maker and a business owner at the same time, and that perspective shows up in how they work with clients.

Honors and Involvement

  • JD 2025, University of Pittsburgh School of Law; admitted to practice in Pennsylvania

  • MBA 2025, University of Pittsburgh Katz School of Business

  • Summer Intensive Scholarship Award, Pittsburgh Glass Center, June 2026

  • Published "A New Entity Option for Artists," Allegheny County Bar Association Lawyers Journal, June 2026

  • Member, Arts and the Law Committee, Allegheny County Bar Association

  • Member, Corporate, Banking and Business Law Section, Allegheny County Bar Association

  • Featured in "1L Toolkit: Managing Law School Stressors," Mindfulness in Law Society

  • Co-Chair, Student Division, Mindfulness in Law Society

  • Member, Resilience in Law Advisory Board

  • Member, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Pittsburgh Chapter

  • Founder, Frostburg's Fandom Society (grew to 400+ members, 10% of the student body at FSU 2019)

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