Janet R. Davis

Senior Counsel

Janet Davis concentrates her practice in the areas of insurance coverage, professional liability, and construction litigation. She represents and counsels insurers on a wide range of issues and policies including errors and omissions, directors and officers coverage, employment practices liability, life sciences, and general liability. She represents architects, engineers, surveyors, lawyers, and accountants in litigated and arbitrated matters and also provides design professionals with general corporate counseling on issues including contract drafting, risk management, insurance, fee disputes, and employment. Janet successfully defended an architect in the second sick building syndrome case tried in the United States and has litigated claims involving Chicago landmarks such as the Amoco Building, 900 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago Skyway, and McCormick Place in addition to many roads, bridges, and other commercial structures.

Janet is AV rated by her peers and has been recognized as a Leading Lawyer and Super Lawyer in Illinois in the areas of insurance coverage and professional liability defense. She is a member of several professional organizations and has served in numerous leadership positions in the Tort, Trial & Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association where she was honored in 2013 with the Kirsten Christophe Award for Excellence in Trial & Insurance Practice. Janet was elected as a fellow of the American College of Coverage Counsel, an organization committed to the creative, ethical and efficient adjudication of coverage and extracontractual.

Janet is a frequent lecturer and author on a variety of topics including insurance coverage, risk management, design professional liability, and the role of counsel retained by insurers. She also served on the Editorial Board of the International Risk Management Institute’s CGL Reporter from 1996 to 2008.

Janet earned her Bachelor of Science in administration (1977) and law degree (1980) from the University of Michigan and remains “True Blue.”

 

Experience

News

Best Lawyers Honors More Than 200 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys in its Best Lawyers in America 2025 Edition

August 15, 2024

Best Lawyers selected 242 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s U.S. offices for inclusion in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America.

Leading Lawyers Network Recognizes 19 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers as Top Illinois Practitioners

March 05, 2024

Ira Bodenstein, Jack Carriglio, Janet Davis, John Dunn, Mitch Edlund, Wendy Enerson, Gary Gassman, Tia Ghattas, Jeremy Glenn, Erin Bolan Hines, Mark Rabinowitz, Peter Roberts, Brian Shaw, Joseph Tilson, Julie Trester, Peter Valeta, Anna Wermuth, and Brian Williams were recognized as Leading Lawyers, Christina Sanfelippo was recognized as an Emerging Lawyer.

Eleven Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named 2024 Illinois Super Lawyers

January 29, 2024

The Cozen O’Connor attorneys who have been recognized by their peers in Illinois as Super Lawyers are Jack Carriglio, Janet Davis, Jeremy Glenn, Allen Guon, Peter Roberts, Brian Shaw, Joe Tilson, and Anna Wermuth. Amy Doig, David Doyle, and Corey Hickman were named to this year’s Illinois Rising Stars list. This is Hickman’s first year on the Rising Stars list.

Best Lawyers Honors More Than 200 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys to its Best Lawyers in America 2024 Edition

August 17, 2023

Best Lawyers selected 232 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s U.S. offices for inclusion in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Eleven Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named 2023 Illinois Super Lawyers

January 26, 2023

Super Lawyers has named 11 attorneys at Cozen O’Connor to its 2023 lists of top practitioners in Illinois.

More Than 200 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch

August 22, 2022

210 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Leading Lawyers Network Recognizes 23 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers as Top Illinois Practitioners

March 02, 2022

The Leading Lawyers Network has named 22 Cozen O’Connor lawyers to its annual list of Illinois’ top practitioners and named one other as an Emerging Lawyer in its 2022 survey results.

Eleven Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named 2022 Illinois Super Lawyers

January 28, 2022

Nine were recognized as Super Lawyers and two were named to its list of "Rising Stars," a list that recognizes attorneys under the age of 40.

More Than 205 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch By The Best Lawyers In America

August 19, 2021

Best Lawyers selected 210 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Eleven Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named 2021 Illinois Super Lawyers

January 29, 2021

Super Lawyers has named eleven attorneys at Cozen O’Connor to its 2021 lists of top practitioners in Illinois.

Leading Lawyers Network Recognizes 26 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers as Top Illinois Practitioners

January 26, 2021

The Leading Lawyers Network has named 24 Cozen O’Connor lawyers to its annual list of Illinois’ top practitioners and named two others as Emerging Lawyers in its 2021 survey results.

200 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch By The Best Lawyers In America

August 20, 2020

Best Lawyers selected 200 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© (Copyright 2020 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, SC).

Six Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named 2020 Illinois Super Lawyers

January 29, 2020

Super Lawyers has recognized six Cozen O'Connor attorneys to its 2020 lists of top practitioners in Illinois, including Joe Tilson who was again named one of the "Top 100" Illinois Super Lawyers.

Events & Seminars

Past Events

2024 Professional Liability Seminar

September 26, 2024 - New York, NY

2023 Professional Liability Seminar

September 28, 2023 - New York, NY

2022 Professional Liability Seminar

September 15, 2022 - New York, NY

CLM Annual Conference

March 18, 2020 - Grapevine, TX

Education

  • University of Michigan Law School, J.D., 1980
  • University of Michigan, B.S.A., with high distinction, 1977

Awards & Honors

Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated

Illinois Super Lawyers 2008-2024, Insurance

Leading Lawyers Network, Top Illinois Practitioner

ABA TIPS Kirsten Christophe Award for Excellence in Trial & Insurance Practice, 2013

Best Lawyers in America 2018-2025

Expert Guides: Insurance & Reinsurance

  • Illinois
  • U.S. District Court -- Central District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court -- Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court -- Southern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court -- Northern District of Indiana
  • U.S. District Court -- Southern District of Indiana
  • U.S. District Court -- Eastern District of Michigan
  • U.S. District Court -- Eastern District of Wisconsin
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • American Bar Association: Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice Section: Chair, TIPS Fellows, 2013-2015; Secretary/Chief Diversity Officer, 2008-2011; Section Council, 2005-2008; Task Force on Corporate Governance, Co-Chair, 2007-2010; Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee, Chair, 1997-1998; Committee on Women and Minorities, Chair, 1995-1996.
  • American College of Coverage Counsel
  • Defense Research Institute
  • American Institute of Architects
  • Professional Liability Underwriting Society