As published in a September 10, 2021 Law360 article called “Pandemic, Cyberattacks Fuel Demand For Insurance Attys,” by Daphne Zhang Robin Cohen, co-founder of Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna said the pandemic made her rethink her career and seize the opportunity to start her own firm. Cohen Ziffer, which focuses exclusively on representing policyholders, launched in January with 12 attorneys and has since more than doubled in size with 26 lawyers as of this summer.
“Since COVID started, I’ve been up at 6 in the morning and going to bed at 10 at night. I’m just bombarded with calls from clients and prospective clients,” Cohen said. “We think COVID has definitely elevated the practice and we’ve been getting really phenomenal candidates.”
Kenneth Frenchman, another Cohen Ziffer co-founder, said their policyholder practice is highly sought-after among insurance lawyers. “We have lots of inquiries and lots of policyholder attorneys who want to join the firm, but we’re very selective,” Frenchman said.
Cohen of Cohen Ziffer said junior attorneys have been pretty aggressive about reaching out to express interest in joining her firm. The questions they ask most are when and how early they can get hands-on experience, she said.
“Am I really going to be able to be on a trial team? Will I be able to argue motions in federal court and state court early on? When do you allow young attorneys to take depositions? Do I work with one particular partner or do you spread it around?” Cohen elaborated.
The firm has preferred hiring associates instead of “bringing in big-name lateral partners,” Frenchman said, as it wants to expand the partnership and have the young attorneys “grow up” in the firm’s system.
“We’re not focused on how long you’ve been out of law school or that you need to be out so long before you can do a deposition,” he said. “If we believe that the associates are ready for something, we’re going to give them opportunities because it helps develop them.”
Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna LLP is an exciting, fast-growing new law firm headquartered in New York City. While our firm formally launched January 4, 2021, our team of prominent name partners have practiced together more than 20 years and have built national, broadly recognized reputations as successful lawyer-leaders in insurance recovery and commercial litigation matters.
Our Cohen Ziffer team has recovered more than $10 billion for our insurance policyholder clients. We are seeking energetic, smart, highly motivated associates to join our firm and quickly provide value to Fortune 1000 companies that have serious litigation and insurance coverage challenges and that are often seeking to recover millions of dollars.
Our Attitude, Culture and Personality
We strategize, litigate and consult as a team. Operating more like a family, we are fierce advocates, competitive and driven, highly collaborative, thoughtful, playful and fun.
The Opportunity at Cohen Ziffer
We are actively seeking junior associates who are self-starters, motivated and energetic. Candidates must have a litigation or an insurance recovery background. Salary and benefits are highly competitive.
Note: While we are aggressively seeking junior associates, we will consider associates at all levels.
Contact and Application Process
Upload your resume and cover letter on our website at https://www.cohenziffer.com/career/current-opportunities/
Contact: Ann Marie Luckman, Director of Human Resources & Administration, aluckman@cohenziffer.com / 212.584.1840
For more information about Cohen Ziffer: www.cohenziffer.com
Join us. Become an integral part of our team that was most recently ranked:
- “Insurance Practice Group of the Year” – Law360 (2016 – 2020)
- All of our named partners are ranked attorneys in Chambers USA. In 2020, Chambers USA again ranked our team in Band 1 for Insurance: Dispute Resolution: Policyholder in New York. Clients and reviewers described our team as handling ”the most complex and high-profile coverage cases and class actions” and is “well known for regularly securing key verdicts at trial and appellate levels for major corporate clients facing significant liability exposure. They have been at the top of the game for a long time and do a great job for clients.”
- Nationally Ranked for Insurance Law: “Best Law Firm” 2021 Edition, published by U.S. News-Best Lawyers
- 2020 The Legal 500 ranked our team as “leading lawyers” in Insurance: Advice to Policyholders:
- Robin Cohen – Hall of Fame
- Adam Ziffer – Recognized
- Ken Frenchman – Recommended
- Keith McKenna – Next Generation Partner