Jeffrey F. Lawrence

Co-Chair, International Practice

Jeff focuses his practice on U.S. and international corporate, commercial, financing and joint venture activity, transportation regulation, and antitrust/competition regulation. Prior to joining Cozen O’Connor, Jeff was a founding and senior partner at Sher & Blackwell LLP in Washington, D.C.

Jeff represents U.S. and foreign companies and trade associations engaged in the maritime, intermodal transportation, and offshore drilling and wind energy industries. He regularly represents clients before federal agencies in Washington, D.C., as well as before foreign governments and international organizations. His transactional and corporate work includes establishing national and international transportation joint ventures, industry cooperatives, vessel alliances, the financing of vessels, and offshore drilling rig and transportation equipment. As a regular part of his practice, he represents clients in investigations by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Justice, Department of the Treasury, and the Federal Maritime Commission.

Considered a leader in the industry, Jeff has spoken on antitrust, transportation regulation, and transport liability issues before professional and industry associations in the United States and abroad. He has been recognized in Band 1 by Chambers and Partners USA for Nationwide: Transportation: Shipping/Maritime: Regulatory from 2011-2022.

Jeff is a former president of the Maritime Administrative Bar Association. He also acts as executive director and general counsel of the Ocean Carrier Equipment Management Association (OCEMA), which deals with inland and equipment issues in the United States and oversees a system of co-op pools with more than 130,000 intermodal vehicles. He has also served as a president, officer, and board member of a number of nonprofit organizations in the Washington, D.C., area.

Jeff received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He earned his J.D. from Rutgers University Law School. 

Experience

News

Jeffrey Lawrence to Receive the 2022 CONNIE Lifetime Achievement Award from the Containerization & Intermodal Institute

November 09, 2022

The Containerization & Intermodal Institute (CII) will honor Jeffrey Lawrence, co-chair of the firm’s International Practice, with the 2022 CONNIE Lifetime Achievement award.

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.

Legal 500 Recognizes Six Cozen O’Connor Practice Areas and 14 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys in its 2022 Legal Guide

July 11, 2022

For 30 years, The Legal 500 has assessed the strengths of law firms in more than 100 jurisdictions. The rankings use a series of criteria, including client feedback, submissions from law firms, and interviews with leading private practice lawyers.

Chambers Ranks 86 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers, 22 Practice Areas in Chambers USA 2022 Guide

June 02, 2022

Chambers USA, the leading annual guide to the top lawyers and law firms in the United States, has ranked 86 Cozen O’Connor lawyers as leaders in their respective fields in the guide’s 2022 edition.

Four Cozen O’Connor Transportation & Trade Attorneys Selected to Who’s Who Legal

October 28, 2021

Cozen O’Connor is pleased to announce that Jeffrey Lawrence, chair of the firm’s Transportation & Trade Group, David Heffernan, vice chair of the firm’s Transportation & Trade Group, Jonathon Foglia, member of the firm’s Transportation & Trade Group, and Marc Fink, of counsel, have all been selected to Who’s Who Legal: Transport 2022 —a guide to the world’s leading transport lawyers.

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.

Legal 500 Recognizes Six Cozen O’Connor Practice Areas and 12 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys in its 2021 Legal Guide

June 17, 2021

The Legal 500 United States named Cozen O’Connor’s Aviation, Construction, Immigration, Insurance, and Maritime practices and Cozen O’Connor attorneys Scott Bettridge, Raymond DeLuca, Geoffrey Ferrer, Bruce Ficken, David Heffernan, Jeffrey Lawrence, Robert Magovern, Anne Mickey, Jeffrey Mullen, Josh Stein, Jeff Vogel, and Rachel Welford to its 2021 Legal Guide.

82 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers, 19 Practices Earn Top Recognition in Chambers USA 2021 Guide

May 26, 2021

Chambers USA, the leading annual guide to the top lawyers and law firms in the United States, has ranked 82 Cozen O’Connor lawyers as leaders in their respective fields in the guide’s 2021 edition; of those, 15 lawyers have been recognized nationally.

Jeffrey Lawrence Named Co-Chair of the International Transportation Committee of the ABA International Law Section

October 21, 2020

Cozen O’Connor is pleased to announce that Jeffrey Lawrence, chair of the firm's Transportation & Trade Group, has been named co-chair of the International Transportation Committee of the ABA International Law Section.

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

August 20, 2020

Best Lawyers selected 201 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).

Legal 500 Recognizes Six Cozen O’Connor Practice Areas and 13 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys in its 2020 Legal Guide

June 22, 2020

The Legal 500 United States named Cozen O’Connor’s Aviation, Construction, Immigration, Insurance, and Maritime practices and Cozen O’Connor attorneys Scott Bettridge, Stephen Cozen, Raymond DeLuca, Geoffrey Ferrer, Bruce Ficken, David Heffernan, Jeffrey Lawrence, Robert Magovern, Anne Mickey, Jeffrey Mullen, Josh Stein, Christopher Sweeney, and Jeff Vogel to its 2020 Legal Guide.

63 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers, 16 Practices Earn Top Recognition in Chambers USA 2020 Guide

May 14, 2020

Chambers USA, the leading annual guide to the top lawyers and law firms in the United States, has ranked 63 Cozen O’Connor lawyers as leaders in their respective fields in the guide’s 2020 edition.

Fourteen Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Recognized as Washington, D.C., Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

April 20, 2020

Super Lawyers has named 14 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to its 2020 Washington, D.C., Super Lawyers and Rising Stars list.

138 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named to the Best Lawyers in America

August 28, 2019

Best Lawyers selected 138 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 21 of the firm’s national offices for inclusion in the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Legal 500 Recognizes Six Cozen O'Connor Practice Areas and Nine Cozen O'Connor Attorneys in its 2019 Legal Guide

June 14, 2019

The Legal 500 United States named Cozen O’Connor’s Aviation, Construction, Immigration, Insurance, and Maritime practices and Cozen O'Connor attorneys Scott Bettridge, Raymond DeLuca, Geoffrey Ferrer, Bruce Ficken, David Heffernan, Jeffrey Lawrence, Robert Magovern, Anne Mickey, and Jeffrey Mullen to its 2019 Legal Guide.

57 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers, 16 Practices Earn Top Recognition in Chambers USA 2019 Guide

April 25, 2019

Chambers USA, the leading annual guide to the top lawyers and law firms in the USA, has ranked 57 Cozen O’Connor lawyers as leaders in their respective fields in the Guide’s 2019 edition.

13 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys Recognized as Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

April 25, 2019

The 2019 Washington, D.C, edition of Super Lawyers Magazine, published by Thomson Reuters, has named 13 Cozen O’Connor attorneys to its list of Super Lawyers and Rising Stars.

126 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named to the Best Lawyers in America

August 22, 2018

One hundred twenty-six Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 20 of the firm’s national offices have been selected for inclusion in the 2018 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Three Practice Areas and Six Attorneys Recommended by The U.S. Edition of The Legal 500

June 15, 2018

The U.S. edition of The Legal 500 recognized Cozen O’Connor’s Aviation, Construction, and Shipping practices as well as attorneys Geoffrey Ferrer, Bruce Ficken, David Heffernan, Jeffrey Lawrence, Robert Magovern, and Anne Mickey.

Publications

Malaysian Block Exemption for Liner Shipping Agreements; Read the Fine Print to Ensure Compliance [Transportation & Logistics Newsletter]

August 13, 2014

Cooperative agreements among liner shipping companies have existed in most trades for more than 100 years. Most major trading nations in Asia and the Pacific Rim have recognized the importance of these agreements to both the shipping industry and national economies. To the extent that these countries have competition laws that could restrict such agreements, many have found after careful study that these agreements should be afforded an exemption from those competition laws for economic, public policy and international comity reasons.

A New Era For Vessel Sharing Agreements – FMC Allows P3 and G6 Alliances To Go into Effect [Transportation & Logistics Newsletter]

May 02, 2014

On March 20, 2014, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) announced that by a vote of 4-1, it had decided to let the P3 Network Vessel Sharing Agreement, among CMA CGM S.A., A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S trading under the name of Maersk Line and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company SA, become effective on March 24, 2014. On April 2, 2014, the FMC announced a similar decision with respect to the G6 Vessel Sharing Agreement among APL Co PTE Ltd., Hapag-Lloyd AG, Hyundai Merchant Marine Co., Ltd., Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd, Nippon Yusen Kaisha, and Orient Overseas Container Line, Ltd., which became effective on April 4.

Education

  • Rutgers University School of Law—Newark, J.D., 1977
  • University of Pennsylvania, B.A., 1973

Awards & Honors

Chambers & Partners USA: Transportation: Shipping/Maritime: Regulatory 2011-2022. This award is conferred by Chambers & Partners. A description of the selection methodology can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Who's Who Legal: Transport - Shipping

Super Lawyers: Transportation & Maritime (Washington, D.C.) 2015-2020. This award is conferred by Super Lawyers. A description of the selection methodology can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

The Legal 500 United States "Leading Lawyer" for Transport: Shipping in 2017-2022

  • District of Columbia
  • New Jersey
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • U.S. District Court -- District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court -- New Jersey
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • Maritime Administrative Bar Association
  • Maritime Law Association of the United States
  • Association of Transportation Law Professionals
  • Co-chair, International Transportation Committee of the ABA Section on International Law