Law School's First Law Firm Endowed
Chair
The Law
School recently announced
the first endowed professorship in its history from a
law firm. Cozen O'Connor, one of the 100 largest law
firms in America, will donate $2 million to endow the
Stephen A. Cozen Professor of Law Chair, in honor of
the firm's founder and chairman.
"I regard my Penn Law education
as the foundation for my accomplishments. I am thrilled
that Pat O'Connor and our Executive Committee decided
to share a portion of Cozen O'Connor's success with the
institution that launched my career, and the futures
of so many of our firm's finest attorneys," said
Mr. Cozen, C '61, L '64. He serves on the Law School's
Board of Overseers and on the advisory board of the school's
Institute for Law and Economics.
"Steve Cozen is one
of the nation's top litigators, a lawyer-entrepreneur
who has built a law firm with a national reputation,
and a distinguished alumnus of Penn Law School," said
Dean Michael A. Fitts. "We are deeply honored that
he chose to add to his legacy with a chair at Penn Law."
A leader in Philadelphia's legal
and civic arena, Mr. Cozen is a noted litigator, counselor
and nationally recognized lecturer and author whose texts
and articles are cited in numerous judicial opinions.
A Fellow in the prestigious American College of Trial
Lawyers, he has been named by the National Law Journal as
one of the country's 100 most influential attorneys.
Mr. Cozen and his firm have
represented businesses in high-profile transactions including
Spectacor's purchase of the Philadelphia 76ers and its
sale of the Philadelphia Flyers to Comcast--one of the
largest deals in sports' history. Mr. Cozen has been
called upon to chair and serve on numerous government
commissions and boards; he served on the Insurance Department
Transition Team for Governor Rendell in Pennsylvania
and as chair of the U.S. Department of Energy Advisory
Committee on Fire Safety.
In addition, Mr. Cozen serves
on numerous education and philanthropic boards, including
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Federation
of Jewish Agencies, and the National Museum of American
Jewish History. In 2002, he was elected to the Board
of Directors for the Shoah Foundation; he was also awarded
the Anti-Defamation League's highest honor--the 25th Annual
Americanism Award.
"Our firm is honored
to fund this prestigious faculty position at the University
of Pennsylvania Law School. Penn Law has fostered some
of the world's top legal scholars and practitioners.
Cozen O'Connor is proud that Steve's passion for the
law, and his name, will be memorialized in this manner," said
Patrick J. O'Connor, president and CEO of Cozen O'Connor.
Founded by Stephen Cozen in
1968, Cozen O'Connor has grown from six lawyers to a
law firm with more than 470 lawyers practicing in the
firm's 20 offices, 19 throughout the United States and
an international office in London. Cozen O'Connor serves
business, insurance and private clients. Known for its
high-profile litigation and transaction work, Cozen O'Connor
concentrates its practice in business and corporate matters;
securities; bankruptcy; insolvency and restructuring;
insurance; real estate; tax; public and project finance;
health law; labor and employment matters; intellectual
property; government relations; and trusts and estates. |
