PHILADELPHIA, September 12, 2018 - Cozen O’Connor has elected shareholders Susan N. Eisenberg and Eugene A. Giotto to the firm’s board of directors. Shareholders Ira C. Gubernick, and Gina Maisto Smith were re-elected.
"We’re thrilled to welcome Susan and Gene to our board of directors, and we are so pleased that Ira and Gina will go on to serve another term,” said Michael Heller, Executive Chairman and CEO of Cozen O’Connor. “They are each a leader in their respective fields, as well as in the firm. We know that they will provide invaluable insight and guidance as we look ahead to what we hope will be a period of great growth for us."
Susan N. Eisenberg has more than 25 years of experience representing employers in all aspects of employment matters and is widely recognized as one of the leading employment law attorneys in Florida. Susan has extensive jury and non-jury trial experience involving sex, race, religion, age, and disability harassment and discrimination issues. She also litigates non-compete and confidentiality issues as well as accessibility issues under the Americans with Disabilities Act. She regularly handles single plaintiff as well as class-action litigation. Susan is also widely known for her experience with wage and hour issues and is one of the authors of the premiere treatise, The Fair Labor Standards Act.
Eugene A. Giotto serves as the vice-chair of the Commercial Litigation Department and the chair of the Long-Term Care Litigation practice group. Gene has three decades of experience representing corporations and employers in business, commercial, health care, and products liability disputes. He has tried cases to verdict in dozens of jurisdictions across the country and has represented clients in consequential disputes having the potential for devastating reputational harm. In addition to his extensive trial experience, Gene serves as the outside general counsel for a for-profit health care corporation that operates senior living communities throughout the country.
Ira C. Gubernick is the co-chair of the Corporate Practice Group. He has more than 24 years of experience representing clients in all aspects of transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, joint ventures, and general corporate and board of director counseling. Ira has extensive boardroom experience and advises clients on strategic transactions, corporate governance, and board advisory matters. He is known for his problem-solving abilities, judgment, and drive to achieve positive results for his clients. He represents public companies, private companies, and entrepreneurs during all points of a company’s life cycle, and has counseled corporate boards and executives at a senior level dating back to the early 1990s.
Gina Maisto Smith is the chair of Cozen O’Connor’s Institutional Response Group and the founder of the nation’s first practice dedicated to the institutional response to sexual and gender-based harassment, violence, child abuse, elder abuse, other forms of discrimination and harassment, workplace misconduct, and criminal conduct. Gina provides consulting, counseling, and legal advice on all aspects of the institutional response to misconduct. She assists institutions in designing effective institutional responses that integrate the complex federal and state regulatory framework with the unique dynamics of interpersonal misconduct and its impact on individuals, institutions, and communities. Gina is frequently called upon to advise institutional clients, including presidents, boards, senior management, and counsel on the intersection of trauma-informed, fair, and impartial processes with the intersecting legal landscape.
About Cozen O’Connor
Established in 1970 and ranked among the top 100 law firms in America, Cozen O’Connor has more than 825 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 services its clients’ needs through 32 offices across two continents.