Harris St. Laurent & Wechsler Expands Commercial Litigation Group, Welcomes Partner Rob Cohen
August 20, 2025
Leading litigation, employment and white-collar boutique Harris St. Laurent & Wechsler LLP has expanded its Commercial Litigation practice group with the addition of Rob Cohen as a partner.
Cohen joins HSW from New York litigation firm Taylor & Cohen LLP, where he was a founding partner. He brings extensive experience in complex litigation, arbitration and mediation, representing clients in shareholder and corporate disputes, employment matters, breach of contract cases, fraud and trade secret claims, class actions and appeals. His work spans a broad range of industries, including financial services, private equity, payment and credit card processing, manufacturing, energy and telecommunications.
“Rob is not only an exceptional litigator but also a trusted advisor with a reputation for navigating complex disputes across industries,” founding and managing partner Jonathan Harris said. “His depth of experience, reputation for excellence and commitment to clients make him an ideal fit for HSW. We’re excited to see the impact he will have as part of our team and what he offers our clients.”
Cohen’s track record includes representing a private equity fund in litigation against a multinational insurance company, securing a judgment on all counts along with attorney fees and costs. He represented a startup in a federal trade secret dispute with a national consumer electronics retailer, advised a private equity fund in internal membership disputes and successfully defended an energy services company in a class action consumer fraud lawsuit that was dismissed in its entirety.
Before co-founding Taylor & Cohen, Cohen was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s New York office, where he earned the Firmwide Pro Bono Partner of the Year Award. He later entered public service as special counsel and Director of Ethics and Lobbying Guidance for the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics. In that role, he co-led major investigations of publicly elected officials.
“HSW’s litigators are among the best in New York, and joining this team is a natural and exciting next chapter in my career,” said Cohen. “I’m eager to collaborate with such a talented group and draw on our collective experience to tackle our clients’ most complex challenges.”
Throughout his career, Cohen has made significant pro bono contributions to the New York community, including advancing civil rights for people with mental illnesses. One of his cases resulted in a complete overhaul of all operations of the psychiatric units at Brooklyn’s Kings County Hospital Center.
Cohen earned his J.D. (with honors) from the University of Chicago Law School and holds a B.A. (cum laude) from the University of Pennsylvania. He clerked for the Hon. Michael Hawkins of the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Prior to attending law school, Rob worked for five years as a legislative assistant and Appropriations Subcommittee staff member in the Washington, D.C. office of Rep. Ed Pastor..