NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna LLP announced today that it has promoted Nicholas R. Maxwell to partner, effective January 1, 2024. Nick becomes the second attorney Cohen Ziffer has elevated to partner since the firm launched in early 2021, a period in which Cohen Ziffer has expanded both in size and in the number of cutting-edge issues in which it is advocating for policyholders against insurance companies.
“Nick has a passion for insurance litigation and a talent for navigating it that applies across the full spectrum of coverage disputes,” said Robin Cohen, chair of Cohen Ziffer. “He will be a valuable leader for Cohen Ziffer and our clients on new and emerging insurance coverage issues ranging from cases involving financial fraud to opioid-related liabilities to PFAS.”
At Cohen Ziffer, Nick has helped policyholder clients recover hundreds of millions of dollars under many lines of insurance, including directors and officers, business interruption, errors and omissions, general liability, and fidelity policies. Nick recently served as a key member of a trial team representing the owner of the largest refinery on the East Coast in connection with a catastrophic explosion, achieving a favorable settlement three days into the two-week trial. He also recently played a central role in a three-week fidelity insurance arbitration, obtaining multiple favorable settlements, and, in another case spanning years of litigation across multiple states, secured a summary judgment ruling ordering insurers to pay more than $70 million for the defense of underlying securities matters.
Nick joined Cohen Ziffer shortly after its founding at the start of 2021. Since that time, the firm has tripled in size, and the issues being handled by the firm have evolved as well. A leading advocate for policyholders that suffered business losses due to pandemic-inspired shutdowns, Cohen Ziffer recently won a significant case for Viacom Inc. (n/k/a Paramount Global), which resolved that insurers could not avoid coverage for a $122.5 million settlement of litigation stemming from the Viacom-CBS merger by relying on a common D&O liability insurance policy exclusion known as the bump-up clause. The firm also recently secured, among other wins: an extremely rare reversal of a jury verdict against Conduent State Healthcare in its pursuit of insurance coverage relating to a $236 million Medicaid settlement; and a win for Clover Health Investments, in one of the first decisions addressing coverage for a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), in which the court ruled that insurers must pay defense costs for not only the SPAC, but also for its future officers and directors.
Nick has served on the editorial advisory board of the Insurance Coverage Law Center for several years and has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in New York. Before joining Cohen Ziffer, Nick practiced at a national law firm. He received his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law and his B.A. from Haverford College.
About Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna LLP
The lawyers at Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna LLP (www.cohenziffer.com) guide insurance policyholders through their highest-value insurance recovery disputes. With numerous jury verdicts, precedent-setting wins, and billions of dollars recovered across a range of industries, our pledge to clients is unwavering: We know how to lead you through this.
