New York—November 16, 2021—Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna LLP announced today that it has named Cynthia M. Jordano a partner in the firm, effective January 1, 2022. With the promotion, Cindy becomes the first attorney that Cohen Ziffer has elevated from associate to partner since the launch of the firm in early 2021. In that time, Cohen Ziffer has more than doubled in size, from 12 to 26 attorneys.
“This is an exciting recognition of the talent we are developing within Cohen Ziffer. Cindy is an invaluable asset to clients in challenging insurance disputes, and very worthy of the distinction of being our first associate to make partner,” said Robin Cohen, chair of Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna. “She combines a wealth of litigation experience, including her clerkship in the Southern District of New York, with unique trial skills that you just can’t teach.”
At Cohen Ziffer, Cindy has advised on multiple disputes at the cutting-edge of insurance law, including business interruption claims for losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. She serves as a key member of the legal team representing real estate developer Thor Equities, LLC. Thor secured one of the first major wins for policyholders in such business interruption cases—and one of the biggest insurance rulings of 2021—when the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that a contamination exclusion in its commercial property policy did not bar coverage for its pandemic-related losses.
Throughout her career, Cindy has had several trial and arbitration wins, including an arbitration award that exceeded her client’s policy limit. She has also secured numerous wins at summary judgment. For software company SS&C Technologies, for example, she has earned multiple summary judgment victories on claims under professional liability policies—one for indemnity in New York federal court, and one for defense costs in Delaware state court. She also earned a summary judgment win in a challenging duty-to-defend dispute in which an insurer tried to implicate the policyholder in the wrongful conduct of a former employee.
In addition to insurance recovery matters, Cindy advocates for clients in high-stakes commercial cases, including contract disputes, securities actions, and allegations of business fraud. She also maintains an active and successful pro bono practice. Among other pro bono victories, Cindy secured a win for a group of Honduran farmworkers at the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, in one of the first federal decisions to require employers participating in the H-2A visa program for immigrant agricultural workers to compensate their workers for charging illegal recruitment fees.
Prior to joining Cohen Ziffer, Cindy clerked for the Hon. Judith C. McCarthy in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and practiced law at a leading New York litigation firm. She received her J.D. from New York University School of Law, where she served as a member of the Federal Defender Clinic and associate editor of the Journal of Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law, and her B.A. from New York University.