CPR LAW - Key Persons
Carl Jaeckel is of counsel to the firm, and is admitted to practice law in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Mr. Jaeckel focuses his practice on mass torts and class actions. Throughout his career he has represented clients in class action and mass tort lawsuits involving consumer fraud, product liability and defective drugs.
Job Titles:
- Counsel
- of Counsel
- Member of the Faculty at the School for Management and Labor Relations
Carla A. Katz is Of Counsel to the firm. Ms. Katz is a member of the faculty at the School for Management and Labor Relations (SMLR) at Rutgers University where she teaches labor studies and law. Prior to joining the faculty full-time, she taught at SMLR as a Visiting Lecturer for more than twelve years teaching courses in Collective Bargaining, Union Organizing and Occupational Safety and Health among others. Ms. Katz also writes and lectures on politics, power, and issues that affect working women and men. Her practice is primarily focused on public sector labor and employment law. She works closely with New Jersey's firefighters and other public employees.
Ms. Katz has a long history of representation of union members and workers, including nine years as the elected president of the Communications Workers of America, Local 1034. She served as a commissioner of the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission from 2002 to 2006. Prior to joining Cohen, Placitella & Roth, she was an attorney with Fox and Fox LLP in Livingston New Jersey.
Education
Seton Hall University School of Law,
Job Titles:
- Shareholder
- President of the New Jersey Association for Justice
Christopher M. Placitella is a trial lawyer certified by the New Jersey Supreme Court with a nationwide reputation as one of the country's leading authorities concerning mass torts, class actions, asbestos, defective products and environmental injuries. Chris has served as lead counsel in numerous landmark cases that have changed life in America for the better.
Chris has served as President of the New Jersey Association for Justice and in leadership for the American Association for Justice , The National Trial Lawyers Association, Trial Lawyers of New Jersey & the NJ Public Interest Law Center. Chris's professional integrity and personal commitment to his clients and community have earned him local, regional and national recognition for his service.
Mr. Placitella's cases have been reported in the national media by the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Bloomberg, the Associated Press and the National Law Journal. His career has been commemorated a number of times in written works, including:
Poison Pills, The Untold Story of the Vioxx Drug Scandal, Tom Nesi;
Dispensing with the Truth: The Victims, the Drug Companies, and the Dramatic Story Behind the Battle over Fen-Phen, Alicia Mundy;
Civil Warriors, the Story of the Tobacco Litigation, Dan Zeigart;
No Contest, Corporate Lawyers & the Perversion of Justice in America, Ralph Nader.
Job Titles:
- Counsel
- of Counsel
- Member of the American Medical Association
Dr. David A. Lenrow is Of Counsel to the firm & a practicing physician and Of Counsel to the law firm. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania and the New Jersey Bars in 2002. Dr. Lenrow is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where he received his B.A. in 1981, and SUNY Downstate Medical Center where he received his M.D. in 1985. He received his law degree from Temple University School of Law (magna cum laude) in 2001.
Dr. Lenrow's medical training includes: University of Illinois (General Surgery Resident, 1985-1987); University of Pennsylvania (Fellowship in Transplant Immunology, 1987 - 1989); Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (General Surgery Resident, 1989 - 1990, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Resident, 1990 - 1993); Board Certified PM&R (1995).
Dr. Lenrow has authored numerous articles in peer reviewed medical journals. He has also edited and written chapters in several medical books. His published topics span research ethics to spine disorders and rehabilitation issues.
Dr. Lenrow is a member of the American Medical Association, the American and Pennsylvania Bar Associations and the Health Law Section of the American Bar Association.
Education
Temple University Beasley School of Law, J.D. (magna cum laude), 2001.
Board Certified PM&R, 1995;
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Resident, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 1990-1993
General Surgery Resident, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 1989-1990
Fellowship in Transplant Immunology, University of Pennsylvania, 1987-1989
Dr. David A. Lenrow has published peer reviewed medical journal articles. He has also contributed articles and edited several medical books. His published work includes research ethics to spine disorders and rehabilitation issues.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate VIEW BIO
- Associate With Cohen
Drew Renzi is an associate with Cohen, Placitella, & Roth. He focuses his practice on class action, environmental, and products liability litigation.
Drew earned his J.D. from Tulane University in 2019. During law school, he served as a student attorney with the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic and as a fellow for the Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law & Policy. He was additionally a managing editor for the Tulane Environmental Law Journal. Prior to law school, Drew graduated from Georgetown University with a B.A. in Economics in 2015.
Drew is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.
Job Titles:
- Member of Cohen
- Member VIEW BIO
Elizabeth M. Amesbury is a Member of Cohen, Placitella & Roth. She focuses her practice on the representation of injured parties in complex civil litigation, including medical malpractice and products liability, as well as motor vehicle accident and premises liability claims.
Ms. Amesbury has successfully briefed and argued cases before numerous appellate courts. Among other results, her advocacy has resulted in published opinions ensuring plaintiffs receive the compensation they deserve for their life-altering injuries. Shiflett v. Lehigh Valley Health Network, Inc., 217 A.3d 225 (Pa. 2019) and Mader v. Duquesne Light Co., 199 A.3d 1258 (Pa. Super. 2018), affirmed by, 241 A.3d 600 (Pa. 2019).
Ms. Amesbury currently manages the firm's attorney fellowship program; a one-year program designed to give recent law school graduates an opportunity to gain valuable experience in plaintiff-side personal injury litigation.
Ms. Amesbury graduated cum laude from Temple University's Beasley School of Law in 2015, where she served as staff editor for the Temple Law Review. She received her undergraduate degree with high distinction in Crime, Law & Justice from the Pennsylvania State University in 2012. While in law school, Ms. Amesbury was a judicial intern for the Honorable Robert B. Kugler in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Ms. Amesbury is admitted to practice before the state courts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the District of New Jersey, and the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
Education
Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, J.D. (cum laude), 2015
Pennsylvania State University, B.S. (high distinction), 2012
Job Titles:
- Member VIEW BIO
- Member With Cohen
Eric S. Pasternack is a Member with Cohen, Placitella & Roth, and focuses his practice on class action and environmental litigation.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Pasternack was an associate with Ricci Tyrrell Johnson & Grey, where he represented major corporations in products liability, premises liability, maritime, and environmental litigation.
Before entering private practice, Mr. Pasternack served as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of New Jersey. In that capacity, he litigated enforcement and cost recovery actions on behalf of the Department of Environmental Protection in actions brought under the Spill Compensation and Control Act, the Site Remediation and Reform Act, the Underground Storage of Hazard Substances Act, and the Industrial Site Recovery Act. He also advised the Department of Environmental Protection in complex, multi-district litigation involving hazardous substances such as MTBE.
Mr. Pasternack has also counseled and represented various state agencies in actions concerning an Attorney General Directive authorizing the use of police body cameras, the regulation of the medical profession, the Attorney General's managerial prerogative, and New Jersey's election laws. In two of those cases, he successfully opposed petitions for certiorari before the Supreme Court of the United States. He also briefed and argued cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, including:
Goodwin v. Conway, 836 F.3d 321 (3d Cir. 2016) (argued)
Zitter v. Petruccelli, 11767 F. Supp. 3d 698 (D.N.J. 2016)
Doe v. Governor of New Jersey, 783 F.3d 150 (3d Cir. 2015)
Balsam v. Secretary of State of New Jersey, 607 Fed. Appx. 177 (3d Cir. 2015)
King v. Governor of New Jersey, 767 F.3d 215 (3d Cir. 2015)
Robinson v. N.J. Mercer County Vicinage, 562 Fed. Appx. 145 (3d Cir. 2014)
Nichols v. Sivilli, 130 F. Supp. 3d 912 (D.N.J. 2015)
Mr. Pasternack is a J.D./M.B.A. graduate of Rutgers Law School and Rutgers School of Business. While in law school, he served as an editor of the Rutgers Law Journal, a Governor's Executive Fellow with the Eagleton Institute of Politics, and a Dean's Academic Excellence Scholar. Upon graduation, the faculty of Rutgers Law School awarded him the Albert P. Blaustein Memorial Award for his note, HIPAA in the Age of Electronic Health Records, 41 Rutgers L.J. 817 (2012).
Mr. Pasternack is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate VIEW BIO
- Associate With Cohen
Ms. McDermott earned her J.D. from Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law in 2021 where she received the Kline & Specter Award for Exceptional Advocacy. While at Drexel University, Ms. McDermott competed on the trial team where she won the prestigious Texas Young Lawyers Association's regional trial competition in 2020 and 2021 and finished as a quarterfinalist in the national competition in 2021. Ms. McDermott currently serves as a trial team coach at Drexel University. Prior to law school, Ms. McDermott graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh in 2018.
Before joining Cohen, Placitella & Roth, Ms. McDermott represented major companies in complex civil litigation including products liability and premises liability across the country.
Ms. McDermott is admitted to practice before the state courts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Frannie McDermott is an associate with Cohen, Placitella & Roth, where she represents clients in various complex civil litigation matters including medical malpractice, products liability, and premises liability claims.
Job Titles:
- Shareholder
- Lawyer
- Shareholder VIEW BIO
Harry M. Roth is widely regarded for his superior handling of complex civil litigation including medical malpractice, product liability, catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, and pharmaceutical cases. He has been selected by his fellow lawyers, including those at Cohen, Placitella, Roth, as one of the Best Lawyers in America®.
Through jury verdict and settlement, he has achieved a number of multi-million dollar results in professional liability and product liability cases. Mr. Roth also represents individuals, government entities, and companies seeking to recover for economic loss or property damage as a result of the wrongful conduct of others.
Mr. Roth was appointed to serve on the Disciplinary Board Committee of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania from 1994-2000, is a frequent lecturer on public safety, health issues, and the law and is actively involved in supporting causes which directly impact the health and well being of individuals as well as the community.
Education
Temple University School of Law, L.L.M.
Harry M. Roth is a frequent lecturer on public safety, health issues, and the law.
Job Titles:
- Shareholder
- Shareholder VIEW BIO
James Goslee is a Shareholder at Cohen, Placitella & Roth, and represents plaintiffs in personal injury, medical malpractice and defective product liability litigation. As an experienced trial attorney, Mr. Goslee has secured substantial jury verdicts on behalf of his clients. Some of his notable verdicts and settlements include:
$50 million in aggregate settlements for plaintiffs injured by a defective product;
$2.39 million jury verdict in a medical malpractice case in Lehigh County. Voted as one of the Top 20 Verdicts in Pennsylvania by The Legal Intelligencer;
$6 million settlement on behalf of the parents of 13-year-old boy who drowned in an apartment complex swimming pool;
$2 million wrongful death settlement for a client injured in a commercial parking lot;
$2 million recovery in a wrongful death matter settled during trial;
$1.75 million wrongful death recovery in a failure to diagnose cancer case;
$1,400,000 settlement for a boy injured during childbirth;
$1,250,000 for a woman who suffered an amputation injury due to medical negligence;
$495,000 jury verdict in Philadelphia for a worker who suffered a hamstring tear;
$965,000 settlement for a patron beaten outside a bar;
$975,000 settlement for a tenant injured by a ceiling falling inside her apartment;
$528,000 jury verdict in Philadelphia for a worker injured when he fell through scaffolding;
$700,000 arbitration award for a school teacher who suffered a mild traumatic brain injury in a car accident;
$1 million policy limit settlement for a man injured in an automobile accident.
Mr. Goslee has been named a Pennsylvania "Rising Star" for 5 consecutive years and more recently was selected as a Pennsylvania "Super Lawer." Mr. Goslee was also named by the Legal Intelligencer as a "Lawyer on the Fast Track."
In addition to his legal work, Mr. Goslee has served on the Leadership Council of the non-profit Community Legal Services of Philadelphia since 2018 and, in the past, served on the Pennsylvania Association for Justices Board of Governors.
Mr. Goslee graduated from Temple University School of Law Magna Cum Laude and has a masters degree in trial advocacy (with honors). He worked for 3 years at a large international law firm before taking a clerkship with a federal district court judge.
Education
Temple University LLM Program for Trial Advocacy (with honors), 2014
Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, J.D. (magna cum laude), 2006
Lycoming College, B.A. (Economics), 2003
Mr. Goslee is a pro-bono volunteer for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania's Prisoner Civil Rights Litigation panel.
Job Titles:
- of Counsel
- Counsel to Cohen
- Mayor of Millvale
James R. Burn, Jr. is Of Counsel to Cohen, Placitella, Roth and has an office in Pittsburgh, PA. He concentrates his practice at CPR on Veterans Benefits law.
Mr. Burn graduated from Duquesne University in 1985 and received his J.D. from the University of Dayton in 1988. He has been practicing law in the Pittsburgh area since graduating law school. Rated AV® by Martindale-Hubbell, Mr. Burn has over thirty years of experience in Veterans Law, Worker's Compensation, Social Security Disability, and Personal Injury. Jim also served as a Hearing Committee Member for the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Burn served as mayor of Millvale, PA from 1994-2005. He received the "Mayor of the Year Award" in 1997 from the Pennsylvania State Mayor's Association. He has also received the "Outstanding Young Men in America Award", and the "Community Award" from the North Hills Community Outreach.
Jim was the mayor of the Borough of Millvale, PA from 1994 to 2005; past chairman of the Allegheny County Democratic Party from 2006 to 2011; Allegheny County Council Member from 2006 to 2013, and he is the former chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. He also served on the board of directors for the Jail Oversight Board, ARTEZ Community Enterprise Zone, Local Government Academy and the Northern Area Boys and Girls Club.
Education
University of Dayton School of Law,
Jared M. Placitella is a Member of Cohen, Placitella & Roth, P.C., practicing primarily in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He represents individuals in complex civil litigation, including class actions, asbestos, and other mass tort claims, as well as products liability and catastrophic injury claims.
Mr. Placitella currently serves on the Board of Governors for both the American Association for Justice and the New Jersey Association for Justice, for which he has authored amici briefs before New Jersey's appellate courts. Mr. Placitella lectures in educational seminars sponsored by the New Jersey State Bar Association as well the New Jersey Association for Justice. He is the Associate Editor of the Second Edition of the New Jersey Mass Tort and Class Action Treatise published by the New Jersey Institute of Continuing Legal Education. Mr. Placitella has been recognized as a New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2016 through 2021, and a Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2019 through 2021.
Mr. Placitella is a 2013 graduate of the George Washington National Law Center where he received his J.D. and served as a member of The George Washington Journal of Energy and Environmental Law, as well as a 2010 graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park where he received his B.A. in Government & Politics magna cum laude. Mr. Placitella is admitted to practice before the state courts of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, as well as the United States District Courts of New Jersey and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Education
The George Washington University National Law Center, J.D., 2013
University of Maryland-College Park, B.A. (Government & Politics), magna cum laude, 2010
Job Titles:
- Member of Cohen
- Member VIEW BIO
Jennifer Emmons is a member of Cohen, Placitella, & Roth, P.C. and concentrates her practice on complex civil litigation involving claims for medical negligence, birth injury, catastrophic personal injury and product liability. Ms. Emmons has served as trial counsel in many jury, non-jury and arbitrations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. She has devoted her professional practice to representing victims who have been injured by medical malpractice.
Ms. Emmons is licensed and admitted to practice in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and the U.S. District Courts for the Districts of New Jersey and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Ms.Emmons has argued many complex and dispositive issues before state and federal courts in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Ms. Emmons has been designated as a certified civil trial attorney by the New Jersey Supreme Court.
Joel S. Rosen specializes in product liability cases, representing individuals who are catastrophically injured as result of defective and faulty products, and in particular, cases involving defective automobiles and trucks.
Mr. Rosen also represents firefighters and other first responders and their families when they sustain serious injuries or have been killed on the job. He has obtained numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for his clients at Cohen, Placitella, Roth. He has successfully represented victims and litigated cases across the country, including Florida, Alabama, Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, and Maryland.
Education
George Washington University
National Law Center, J.D., 1981
Wharton School of Finance, B.S.
Joel S. Rosen is a frequent invited lecturer on product liability and negligence claims, as well as complex subrogation matters, investigation and discovery.
Prior to joining Cohen, Placitella & Roth, P.C., Justin served as an Assistant Prosecutor in the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office in Paterson, New Jersey, for nearly seven years. During his tenure as an Assistant Prosecutor, Justin served in the Domestic Violence Unit, Juvenile Unit, Pre-Indictment Conferencing/Central Judicial Processing (CJP) Phase II Unit, Drug Court/Recovery Court, and Trial Unit.
Justin also assisted the Public Integrity Unit with the mandatory instruction of Passaic County's police officers in Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics (ICAT) De-Escalation Trainings as required by the State Attorney General's directive, specifically guiding officers when responding to volatile situations where the subject is behaving erratically/violently and/or possesses a weapon other than a firearm.
Justin graduated from Syracuse University with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Policy Studies and Political Science in 2009. While an undergraduate, Justin interned for Cohen, Placitella & Roth, P.C., in Red Bank, New Jersey, and, served as a judicial intern for Justice John C. Cherundolo, J.S.C., of the Onondaga County Supreme Court in Syracuse, New York.
Justin graduated from the Roger Williams University School of Law in 2013. While in law school, he interned as an appellate clerk for the Rhode Island Public Defender's Office Appellate Division in Providence, Rhode Island. Justin also worked as a law clerk at the Law Firm of Gill & Chamas, L.L.C., in Woodbridge, New Jersey.
Justin is admitted to practice in New Jersey and the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. He has also been a member of both the American Association for Justice (AAJ), and, the New Jersey Association for Justice (NJAJ), since before graduating law school.
JUSTIN I. PLACITELLA (Associate) practices in the areas of personal injury, complex civil litigation, consumer fraud, mass tort, environmental and products liability, including class actions and multi-district litigation on behalf of individuals.
Mark A. Verlin is Of Counsel to the firm and has an office located in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. He concentrates his practice in personal injury litigation.
Mr. Verlin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and he graduated from the Pennsylvania State University where he received his B.S. in 1980. He received his law degree from Villanova University Law School in 1983.
Mr. Verlin concentrates his practice in personal injury litigation. He represents clients who have suffered personal injury and property damage due to motor vehicle accidents caused by negligence, uninsured or underinsured drivers. He also represents clients in premises liability cases, primarily working with slip and fall injury cases.
Mr. Verlin was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar and the New Jersey Bar in 1983. He was also admitted to the United States Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
He is a member of the Montgomery County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations.
Education
Villanova University Law School, J.D., 1983
Pennsylvania State University, B.S., 1980
Mr. Coren is a graduate of Temple University where he received his B.A. in 1974 and Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law where he received his J.D., magna cum laude in 1979. He was a member and an editor of the Cleveland State Law Review. Mr. Coren also received an M.B.A. degree from Temple University in 1980.
Education
Temple University,
M.B.A. 1980
Cleveland State University, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, J.D. (magna cum laude), 1979
Temple University,
Michael Coren is a frequent invited lecturer on the topics, of mass tort, pharmaceutical/medical device litigation, electronic discovery, food-borne illness, and case management technique topics before various professional and academic organizations.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Associate VIEW BIO
Rachael C. Howell focuses her practice on the representation of catastrophically injured individuals and their families in a range of personal injury and wrongful death litigation, particularly in the areas of medical malpractice, product liability, automobiles, and trucking.
Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Howell worked in the Homicide & Non-Fatal Shootings Unit of the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office where she was the lead prosecutor before Philadelphia juries in attempted murder trials. She previously worked in the Major Trials Unit trying serious felony cases.
Ms. Howell holds a B.A. in Media, Culture & Communications from New York University (2010) and earned her J.D. from Temple University School of Law (2018) with concentration in trial advocacy.
Rachel A. Placitella is a Member of Cohen, Placitella & Roth, and handles complex litigation matters, including asbestos litigation, product liability and personal injury matters. She is an experienced litigator handling each case from early investigative stage through settlement or trial, and has a reputation for excellence, marked by her participation in a number of significant litigation cases.
Ms. Placitella received her B.S. cum laude from the State University of New York at Albany and her J.D. from Syracuse University. She also served as an editor of the Syracuse Law Review while at Syracuse University College of Law, and worked for several years as an assistant prosecutor for Monmouth County, New Jersey where she prosecuted numerous cases before juries.
Ms. Placitella is the former Chair of the Product liability section of the New Jersey State Bar Association, a current trustee of the Women in the Profession Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association, a current member of the NJSBA Professional Responsibility and Unlawful Practice Committee, a current member of the NJSBA Civil Trial Bar Section and a trust advisory committee member of a bankruptcy trust. She is a chair of the Women's Trial Lawyer Caucus, New Jersey Association of Justice. She is a member of the New Jersey Bar Association, The American Association for Justice, and the New Jersey Association of Justice.
Ms. Placitella is a frequent lecturer on various topics, including Civil Trial Ethics and Deposition Strategies.
Ms. Placitella is an active fundraiser for Alzheimer's research. She is a board member of Holidays for the Homeless and Underprivileged. She is an active member of Monmouth Reform Temple, Tinton Falls, NJ.
Education
Syracuse University College of Law, J.D.
Robert Pratter has brought his broad based legal experience to Cohen, Placitella & Roth where he heads up the firm's complex litigation group primarily representing public entities, union pension funds and private individuals in securities, anti-trust environmental actions and other complex commercial litigation. Prior to joining CPR, Bob was as a partner in a national general practice law firm (Duane Morris LLP), General Counsel and Senior Vice President of a large regional insurance holding company (PMA Capital Corporation), acting Insurance Commissioner of Pennsylvania and Executive Deputy General Counsel of Pennsylvania. Bob's experience in the private, corporate and public sectors gives him a comprehensive understanding of how businesses and government operate, what drives their decisions, and an ability to make informed, practical judgments on litigation and dispute resolution strategy for Cohen, Placitella & Roth's diverse body of clients. His knowledge of & experience with insurance issues is particularly helpful in addressing insurance coverage issues that arise in our cases
Bob first worked with Cohen, Placitella & Roth in the successful civil suit by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania against Consol Energy, Inc. for the collapse of the state-owned Ryerson Dam, resulting in a $36 Million settlement on appeal from a favorable administrative agency award, the largest recovery in Pennsylvania during 2013. He also was the senior state attorney working in conjunction with Cohen, Placitella & Roth on successful securities actions resulting in multi-million dollar recoveries. Mr. Pratter also spearheaded the successful defense in HAP v. Commonwealth Department of Insurance, in which the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the Commonwealth's right to use over $700 Million of cigarette taxes for general fund purposes to help end the 2009 budget crisis in Pennsylvania.
Bob began his legal career at Duane Morris in 1969, practicing at the firm for 30 years. He chaired its Administrative Law practice group and served on the firm wide Partners Board before departing in 1999 to become PMA Capital Corporation's General Counsel. In 2008, after guiding PMA through the process of becoming a publicly held company and providing counsel during the company's expansion, he joined the Pennsylvania Office of General Counsel as its Executive Deputy General Counsel for litigation. From July 2008 to July 2011, Mr. Pratter supervised and participated in litigation conducted by the 29 Commonwealth executive agencies under Governors Rendell and Corbett and personally represented the Commonwealth in major litigation involving the Commonwealth's budget, insurance health care reform, prevailing wage enforcement, civil rights and natural resources.
Throughout his legal career and particularly during his Commonwealth service, Mr. Pratter has also participated in numerous legislative and regulatory reforms, drafting projects and litigation relating to such legislation.
Mr. Pratter is an honors graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a magna cum laude graduate of Yale University. He is a member of the American Law Institute and University of Pennsylvania Inn of Court.
Bob has been an active supporter of a number of charitable enterprises, including Board membership for the Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia, the oldest such specialized school in the United States serving blind children and young adults. Contrary to what many people may believe, blindness in children has not been eradicated, and many babies suffer blindness and other disabilities for a variety of reasons. Bob has also been an avid supporter of the performance arts and has been a Board member of the Mann Performing Arts Center in Philadelphia. He also sings in the Wayne Oratorio Chorus, a 200 member mixed chorus that performs sacred works regularly in Philadelphia, and more recently at the Washington National Cathedral.
Job Titles:
- Shareholder
- Shareholder VIEW BIO
Whether in the courtroom or the community, Stewart L. Cohen has worked relentlessly as an advocate on behalf of his clients for over thirty years. Mr. Cohen is a Shareholder at Cohen, Placitella, Roth, focusing his practice on complex civil litigation, including medical malpractice, products liability, workplace accidents and class actions. His skill as a trial lawyer has resulted in a long record of successes including the "Top Settlement or Verdict of 2013 in Pennsylvania", a "Top 100 Jury Verdict in the United States", and a "Top 20 Recovery" in New Jersey. He has been elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. His clients have included children catastrophically injured at birth because of substandard medical care, victims injured by "one of the most dangerous roadways in America", an environmental case where he represented the state of Pennsylvania for damage to state parklands caused by underground mining, and the victims of bank fraud. He has made it possible for victims to successfully recover against hospitals, physicians, engineers, product manufacturers, banks, insurers and the pharmaceutical industry.
Mr. Cohen graduated from Penn State University in 1973 with a B.A. including High Distinctions in the Honors Program and Temple University School of Law in 1977 with a J.D.
Education
Temple University School of Law,
Mr. Cohen is a recognized authority on trial law, particularly complex litigation and legal ethics issues.
Job Titles:
- Member of Cohen
- Member VIEW BIO
William L. Kuzmin is a Member of Cohen, Placitella, Roth. He primarily represents injured parties in complex civil litigation cases including personal injury, product liability, asbestos litigation, and other civil litigation matters.
Mr. Kuzmin is a 2000 graduate of the Rutgers School of Law in Newark, New Jersey. He graduated from Rutgers University in New Brunswick with a degree in political science in 1997. He focuses his practice on mass tort litigation, with a concentration on asbestos cases. While in law school, he was the Managing Notes and Comments Editor for the Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal. Mr. Kuzmin has also written a case comment on Mt. Laurel Twp. v. MiPro Homes, 910 A.2d 617 (N.J. 2006), regarding the use of eminent domain by municipalities, which was published in the August 2007 issue of New Jersey Lawyer.
Education
Rutgers School of Law