MINNEAPOLIS, October 18, 2022 – Cozen O’Connor is pleased to announce veteran litigator Miguel Alexander Pozo has returned to its fast-growing North American Commercial Litigation Department. Pozo, who spent the past two years as senior vice president, general counsel, and compliance officer for firm client Minnesota Community Care, Minnesota’s oldest and largest federally qualified health care center, returns to the firm as a member and will reside in Cozen O’Connor’s Minneapolis office. Pozo brings to the firm nearly three decades of experience litigating a range of commercial and business disputes, including matters involving global brand protection, trademark enforcement, and employment law.
“Miguel is a perfect fit for our department, and I wholeheartedly welcome him back to the fold,” said Barry Boss, co-chair of the firm’s Commercial Litigation Department. “Cross-border commercial disputes are on the uptick, not just in terms of numbers but also in complexity. Miguel brings to our clients a rich and diverse corporate-level background, serving as in-house and external counsel to some of the world’s most iconic brands across a number of industries, from automotive to health care. He’s a solid addition to the firm and I’m sure our clients will share my enthusiasm for his return.”
During his first tenure with the firm, Pozo served as Minnesota Community Care’s outside counsel, before moving to the organization full-time in 2021, where he managed all legal issues impacting its 19 clinics and sites in the greater St. Paul area and led its compliance, investigatory, and risk management functions. Upon his return to Cozen O’Connor, he will once again focus on his business litigation, intellectual property, and employment law practices.
“Minneapolis-St. Paul is consistently ranked among the nation’s metropolitan areas with the most Fortune 500 companies per capita, and guiding/representing major, brand-name entities is clearly Miguel’s forte,” said Thomas G. Wallrich, managing partner of Cozen O’Connor’s Minneapolis office. “His trial skills were developed through decades of direct experience and, like many of our commercial litigators, he brings a track record of success in a wide range of areas. I am thrilled to welcome him back to the firm and the Minneapolis office.”
Over the years, Pozo has helped some of the world’s most iconic brands protect their IP rights from attack and infringement — including LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Inc., Hublot, TAG Heuer, Thomas Pink, Mercedes-Benz, and Christian Dior, and other high-profile clients in the consumer goods industry. He has also handled a range of employment law disputes on behalf of employers, including wrongful terminations, discrimination matters, and reductions in force, and led complex corporate-level internal investigations.
After practicing in New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and Georgia, he relocated to Minneapolis (and Cozen O’Connor) in 2018 with his wife — a Minnesota native — and their two young boys to be closer to family. Since that time, he has immersed himself in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul community. In January, he joined the board Minnesota USA Expo 2027, a nonprofit working on Minnesota’s bid to host the 2027 World’s Fair, and is chair of its governance committee — a positions he will retain as a member of Cozen O’Connor. If the bid is successful, it will mark the first time in nearly 40 years that the United States has hosted a World Fair.
Pozo is also a board member and vice chair of the Sanneh Foundation, which empowers diverse low-income urban and immigrant youth populations in Minneapolis-St. Paul through a range of in- and after-school programs. He has also held high-profile leadership roles within the legal profession, including national president of the Hispanic National Bar Association and president of the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey.
“I am energized and thrilled about returning to private practice at Cozen O’Connor and in its world-class Commercial Litigation Department,” Pozo said. “The firm offers a growing national platform on which I can continue to build my practice, especially in the IP and commercial litigation spaces. Additionally, the firm’s ongoing commitment to attracting talented lawyers from diverse backgrounds, speaks volumes about the firm’s priorities, and will undoubtedly continue to inure to the benefit of our clients and the firm.”
Pozo earned his J.D. at the Rutgers School of Law-Newark and his B.A. at Hofstra University.
About Cozen O’Connor
Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has over 925 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 serves its clients’ needs through 33 offices across two continents.