Barbara “Biz” Van Gelder Joins Cozen O’Connor

Washington, D.C., January 25, 2016—Cozen O’Connor is pleased to welcome Barbara “Biz” Van Gelder as a member of its growing Criminal Defense & Internal Investigations practice in Washington, D.C. She will join Cozen O’Connor on February 1 from Dickstein Shapiro LLP, where she serves as senior counsel and leader of the firm’s Congressional Investigations Practice.

Van Gelder focuses on white-collar defense and health care matters. Highly regarded in her field, she represents clients in criminal fraud investigations and handles qui tam, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, False Claims Act, civil RICO and employment litigation. She advises corporations on the creation of effective corporate compliance and ethics programs and in the conduct of internal corporate investigations. She also has represented both companies and individuals in debarment matters, as well as congressional and inspector general investigations.

“I have known Biz for more than 15 years. She is one of the leaders in the white collar criminal defense bar and we feel very lucky to have joining our criminal defense and internal investigations team,” said Barry Boss, co-chair of the Criminal Defense & Internal Investigations practice and managing partner of the Washington, D.C., office. “Throughout her career, she has handled extremely challenging cases and consistently obtained excellent results for her clients.  She brings added strength to our growing practice.”

Van Gelder is the second member added to Cozen O'Connor's white-collar practice in the past month. In January, former Akin Gump attorney, Nicole H. Sprinzen joined the practice — also resident in the Washington, D.C., office.

“White collar criminal defense and investigations work is both challenging and incredibly rewarding,” Van Gelder said. “It is such an honor to become a member of Cozen O’Connor’s respected and talented team of lawyers in this area of law.”

In addition to Van Gelder and Sprinzen, Cozen O'Connor has continued to expand its practice offerings and add to its deep bench in its Washington, D.C., office during the past six months. In December 2015, Sean J. Riley joined the office’s State Attorneys General Practice. And in September, David Tiger joined the Commercial Real Estate Group and Robert Fallon joined the Energy, Environmental & Public Utilities Group in Washington, D.C. Home to more than 60 attorneys and government relations professionals, and the nation’s leading State Attorneys General Practice, the firm recently moved to a new space previously built out by Squire Patton Boggs, located at 1200 19th St, NW, to accommodate its rapid growth.

Van Gelder received her J.D. from Emory University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from Boston University.

About Cozen O’Connor

Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has over 600 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 24 offices across two continents.