Cozen O’Connor Grows in Florida

PHILADELPHIA – March 18, 2013 – Cozen O’Connor announced today that effective Wednesday, six attorneys from the firm of Edwards Wildman are joining Cozen O'Connor, in practice areas that include trusts and estates/private client services, real estate, insurance coverage, reinsurance, insurance corporate and regulatory and litigation. D. Scott Elliott, Michael Botos, Harvey Feintuch, A. Kenneth Levine, Simeon Brier and John David Dickenson are joining the firm as partners. 

Cozen O’Connor is opening an office in West Palm Beach, in newly leased space in the Waterfront Clematis building. Elliot, Botos, Levine and Dickenson will reside in the new office. Mr. Brier will work from both the Miami and West Palm Beach offices.  Mr. Feintuch will be working out of the West Palm Beach and New York offices. 

“We are extremely excited to welcome this group to the firm,” said Cozen O’Connor Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Heller. “Expanding our presence and capabilities in the vibrant South Florida market is a priority for the firm, and we are pleased to have found such exceptional attorneys to add to our team. We look forward to continuing our expanded presence and capabilities in Florida.”

Cozen O’Connor Miami Office Managing Partner Richard Dunn noted that the group brings significant depth to the firm’s Florida practice. “Their strengths in real estate, estate planning and corporate insurance are an excellent complement to our existing litigation practice areas. We are thrilled to bring them on board, and to augment our Florida presence.”

“We joined Cozen O’Connor, because the firm provides an ideal platform to grow our practice and serve our clients,” said Elliott.

“The firm’s full-service capabilities, combined with Cozen O’Connor’s strong entrepreneurial culture provide key advantages at a time when the practice of law is more competitive than ever,” added Botos.

D. Scott Elliott represents high net worth individuals and families, and corporate fiduciaries in all aspects of trust and estate law. Mr. Elliott has been involved in all aspects of sophisticated wealth transfer planning. His practice includes estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax planning, business succession planning, charitable planning, estate and trust administration, and probate and trust litigation.

Michael E. Botos focuses his practice on the development of commercial and residential projects, transactional real estate, retail and office leasing and aggregate and sand mining leases and sales. He participated in the representation of  the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox in the development and construction of the teams’ new spring training facilities, among other high-profile projects. Mr. Botos has represented banks, insurance companies and private lenders in a wide range of loans. He is the former Mayor of the Village of Golf.

Harvey A. Feintuch focuses his practice on insurance coverage litigation and reinsurance. He serves as legal advisor to domestic and international insurers, handling complex insurance coverage issues presented by professional liability claims. Mr. Feintuch previously served as an Assistant District Attorney to the Hon. Robert M. Morgenthau, New York County District Attorney on the Career Criminal and Homicide Bureaus.

A. Kenneth Levine helps clients navigate state and federal law regulating the licensure and transaction of insurance, reinsurance, service contracts/warranties, and hybrid products such as variable annuities. His experience includes administrative litigation, market conduct and financial examinations, policy drafting, form/rate authorization, and regulatory filings and approvals required for mergers and acquisitions. He is recognized by Chambers & Partners as one of the top insurance attorneys in Florida, is listed in the A.M. Best Directory of Recommended Insurance Attorneys, and has authored several chapters of Appleman on Insurance Law.

Simeon D. Brier practices in the area of complex commercial litigation and employment law. Mr. Brier’s litigation practice has a practical emphasis on corporate disputes and employment matters at both the state and federal court levels. He also has experience in the areas of real estate litigation, financial services litigation, intellectual property litigation and product liability matters. He has represented national banks, national retailers and pharmacy care companies and global manufacturing corporations in a wide variety of matters.

John David Dickenson (J.D.)  practices in the area of insurance and reinsurance, representing domestic and international insurers and reinsurers in complex coverage, claims handling and bad faith litigation and also provides coverage and excess exposure opinions.  He has counseled insurers in complex claims relating to various types of insurance coverage including windstorm, environmental, construction defect, and professional liability.  Mr. Dickenson also handles complex commercial litigation matters including securities and insurance regulatory litigation and real property related litigation.

About Cozen O’Connor

Established in 1970 and ranked among the 100 largest law firms in the United States, Cozen O’Connor has 575 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle market companies, Cozen O’Connor serves its clients’ needs through 22 offices across two continents.