Philadelphia Civic and Legal Leader Stephen A. Cozen C’61, L’64 Proud to Enter Best of the Bar Hall of Fame in His Hometown
The Journal’s Editor-in-Chief Ryan Sharrow called Cozen’s selection “a clear choice,” and University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School Dean Ted Ruger and Bernard G. Segal Professor of Law echoed that sentiment.
“From even before I was Dean, Steve Cozen impressed me as the very model of a brilliant, ethical, civic-minded attorney — a role model for all of us in today’s legal marketplace,” Dean Ruger said. “My admiration has only increased exponentially since working closely with him these past many years on pressing issues facing legal education, our profession, and our democracy itself. I’m pleased to know and have learned from Steve and can think of no one more deserving of this high honor.”
Cozen began the full-service law firm now known as Cozen O’Connor in 1970 with five attorneys in one Philadelphia office. Patrick O’Connor joined in 1973 and became a named Partner four years later. By 1990, the firm had grown to 180 lawyers in five offices; by 2005, it mushroomed to more than 500 attorneys in 16 offices. In 2020, U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers named Cozen O’Connor a “Best Law Firm” in 25 practice areas nationwide and in 115 practice areas regionally. Today, the firm boasts approximately 800 lawyers in 31 offices.
Cozen said he is particularly proud of his work as lead counsel in the landmark antiterrorism lawsuit against the Saudi Arabian government, which seeks to hold financial and logistical sponsors responsible for damages resulting from the Sept. 11, 2001, attack. His work on the One Meridian Plaza fire litigation, in which he defeated eight class actions, settled thousands of claims, and recovered in excess of $100 million from 16 defendants, was also meaningful to him.
“I take a lot of pride in that, but that’s not my accomplishment,” he said. “My accomplishment is what you see every day in Cozen O’Connor. That’s my accomplishment, and that’s something Pat [O’Connor], Mike Heller, and I could never be prouder of — that’s all we ever wanted to do, to be the best we could be in everything we did and just go out and kick butt.”
At the same time, Cozen has also been an active participant in the life of the Law School. In 2003, in tribute to its co-founder, Cozen O’Connor endowed the Stephen A. Cozen Professor of Law Chair at the Law School, the school’s first endowed professorship from a law firm: Jacques deLisle currently holds the endowed chair. Cozen has served on the Law School’s Board of Advisors and on the board of the Institute for Law & Economics. Earlier this year, Cozen and his wife Sandy launched the Cozen Family Voting Rights Fellowship at the Law School, which provides two years of funding for a graduate working to advance and protect voting rights.
Osagie Imasogie LLM’85, Chair of the Law School’s Board of Advisors, knows Cozen well from their shared involvement on Penn Law boards.
“Steve Cozen is a giant, a giant, just colossal on many levels,” Imasogie said. “First, of course, is his blinding intellect … but even more, he’s a giant in terms of ‘spending’ of himself — spending of his time, of his support, of his counseling, of his generosity of spirit. … He has a depth of kindness and does it with complete joy.”
The Hall of Fame recognition from Philadelphia peers is particularly special to Cozen because his loyalty to the city runs deep. “I’m a born and bred Philadelphian,” he said. “I think a lot of people have the very, very misguided impression that the great lawyers in this country all come from New York, D.C. and Los Angeles. Maybe a few in Chicago. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“The quality of the Bar in Philadelphia is as high, if not higher, than anywhere else in the country, so I’m very proud to be a member of the Philadelphia Bar.”