Rob Cohen

Rob brings extensive experience to bear, having litigated multi-billion-dollar disputes, led major government investigations, and built a successful boutique practice in his career.

Rob combines meticulous case development with efficient execution, having managed large trial teams and massive discovery records in multiple litigations simultaneously. Adept at deploying resources efficiently and strategically while remaining focused on the client’s business objectives, he drives cases to decisive resolutions. Rob’s diverse case history spans antitrust, private equity, insurance, post-acquisition disputes, class actions, and civil rights litigation.

His background in public service further distinguishes Rob’s practice. As Special Counsel at the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics, he led a team of attorneys that developed and implemented one of the country's most comprehensive lobbyist disclosure regimes and co-led a landmark investigation that reshaped state government accountability (which resulted in the resignation of Assemblyman Vito Lopez).

Whether representing plaintiffs or defendants, Rob designs litigation strategies aligned with commercial goals, translates complex legal issues into clear business decisions and achieves favorable outcomes through trial, litigation, and alternative dispute resolution.

Prior to joining the firm, Rob co-founded Taylor & Cohen LLP in 2015 after working in private practice as a partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and serving as Special Counsel and Director of Ethics and Lobbying Guidance at the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics, where he later also served as a gubernatorially-appointed Commissioner.

Prior to 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. He also clerked for the Hon. Michael Hawkins for the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th circuit.

Notable Matters

• Senior member of trial team that secured ten-figure settlement on eve of trial in private antitrust litigation involving 200 million pages of document production and 300 depositions.
• Secured complete victory for Michelin-starred celebrity chef, successfully unwinding partnership agreement that had stripped him of salary and intellectual property rights in his own name, with no payment required.
• Won judgment for private equity fund against multinational insurance corporation, including award of attorneys' fees and costs, in a complex warehouse lending dispute.
• Led years-long federal civil rights impact litigation together with the New York Civil Liberties Union and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York that resulted in complete overhaul of the psychiatric unit at Brooklyn's Kings County Hospital Center.
• Secured eight-figure settlement for a leading national commercial lighting technology company in post-acquisition dispute.
• Defended investor in eight-figure luxury spirits company dispute, settling during trial with no financial liability for client.
• Successfully defended energy service company in class action consumer fraud lawsuit, securing dismissal.