Cozen O’Connor continues to grow with the addition of two senior lateral attorneys: corporate transactions attorney Jahan S. Islami, who joins the firm as a partner in the Florida office, and commercial litigator Matthew S. Steinberg, who joins the firm as a partner in the Los Angeles office. Mr. Islami previously was with K&L Gates. Mr. Steinberg previously was with Greenberg Traurig, and was the founding partner of that firm’s Los Angeles office. With the addition of Messrs. Islami and Steinberg, Cozen O’Connor has acquired 35 lateral attorneys, and has opened two new offices in West Palm Beach, Florida and Minneapolis, Minnesota since January 2013.
Jahan S. Islami focuses his practice on corporate transactions, private equity and other financings, and general corporate matters. He advises entrepreneurs, investors and company management on formation issues, financings, corporate transactions, operational and general corporate matters, and corporate governance. Mr. Islami has extensive experience in a variety of industry consolidations.
“We are delighted that Jahan has joined our expanding team in Florida, which includes a superb group that serves clients across a broad spectrum of business law,” said Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Heller. The firm recently opened an office in West Palm Beach with the addition of five attorneys, and added three attorneys to its Miami office.
Rick Dunn, managing partner of Cozen O’Connor’s Miami office, added, “We are extremely pleased to welcome Jahan. His experience in private equity and other financings, as well as sophisticated transactions, is a great complement to our growing transactional team.”
“I am very excited to be part of Cozen O’Connor,” said Mr. Islami. “The firm has a great platform and is aggressively building a sophisticated business law practice in South Florida. The firm’s entrepreneurial culture and breadth and depth of its diverse practices enable me to serve my clients in every area of their business. I look forward to helping the firm grow its Florida presence.”
Matthew S. Steinberg brings more than three decades of business litigation experience involving major commercial disputes. Mr. Steinberg has represented clients in cases that have made appellate law at the state and federal levels, and he has earned multimillion-dollar jury verdicts. His experience extends to trade secrets disputes and class actions under California’s Unfair Competition Law. Mr. Steinberg was the first Los Angeles attorney hired by Greenberg Traurig, and was instrumental in that firm opening its LA office.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome a lawyer of Matt’s talent and experience,” said firm CEO Heller. “Cozen O’Connor has long had a national reputation for strength in commercial litigation, and deepening our bench of sophisticated commercial litigators in California has been an important part of our strategic plan. Matt’s addition furthers the firm’s plan and enhances our commercial litigation capabilities in California.”
“Matt is a great addition to our LA office,” agreed Howard Maycon, office managing partner in Los Angeles. “With Matt’s experience litigating California Unfair Competition and other high-stakes matters, he brings added fire power to our team.”
“I am very happy to have joined Cozen O’Connor,” says Mr. Steinberg. “I’m looking forward to being part of such a dynamic firm, and to helping build the firm’s commercial litigation capabilities in Los Angeles, which is such an active market for commercial disputes.”
Cozen O’Connor has been actively growing its commercial litigation capabilities in the Los Angeles area, having recently recruited Sara Poster from Baker Hostetler, as well as relocating senior level commercial litigators from its Philadelphia and New York offices to Los Angeles.
