Cozen O'Connor Brings 400 Litigators Under One International Litigation Department

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cozen O'Connor announced changes to the management structure of its national litigation groups to better reflect the accomplishments and capabilities of its 400 trial lawyers.  Previously the firm marketed itself as four separate litigation departments consisting of commercial litigation, general litigation, insurance litigation and subrogation and recovery.  Cozen O'Connor will now operate under one international litigation department that will be led by co-chairs Jeffrey G. Weil and Elliott R. Feldman.

Weil joined the firm in October 2008 from Dechert and led the commercial litigation department. A member of the American Law Institute, Weil is particularly experienced in class action litigation, including securities, products liability, and antitrust. He represented USAir and Philip Morris in two of the largest class actions ever filed in the United States.

Feldman has been with the firm since 1982 and for the past decade has led the firm's international subrogation and recovery department. A past-president of the National Association of Subrogation Professionals, he has litigated and tried many substantial matters, and secured numerous six-figure and multimillion-dollar recoveries for insurance and commercial clients.

"The way we marketed our litigation departments left clients without a full understanding of the breadth and depth of our trial practices," said Cozen O'Connor President and CEO Tad Decker.  "For example, we have more elected members of the American College of Trial Lawyers than any other law firm but have never adequately communicated this because we separated our litigation attorneys by departments or groups.  We were not presenting a clear and cohesive picture of the depth of our qualifications and accomplishments."

The new international litigation department will consist of four groups:

• The Subrogation and Recovery Group will continue to be chaired by Elliott Feldman, with Kevin Hughes as vice chair.

• The Global Insurance Group will continue to be chaired by William Patrick Shelley.

• The Labor and Employment Group will continue to be chaired by Mark J. Foley.

• The Commercial Litigation and General Litigation Groups will merge into one Commercial Litigation Group chaired by Weil, with Ann Thornton Field and John J. McDonough serving as vice chairs.

No changes were made to the firm's Business Law Department which will continue to be led by Michael J. Heller.

The firm also announced changes to its marketing department. Lisa Calvo Haas was named the new Chief Marketing Officer. A litigator who joined the firm as an associate in 1993, Haas has served as head of client development for the business and commercial litigation departments since 2008.

James Staples will now become head of the firm's Global Strategic Marketing.  In this role, he will provide assistance to the firm's departments concerning execution of its Global Strategic Marketing Plan.

Established in 1970 and ranked among the 100 largest law firms in the United States, Cozen O'Connor has 575 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and ambitious middle market companies, Cozen O'Connor serves its clients' needs through 22 offices across two continents.

SOURCE Cozen O'Connor

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