Deborah M. Minkoff

Senior Counsel

Deborah M. Minkoff enjoys a nationwide coverage litigation practice. Deborah also devotes a significant portion of her practice to counseling clients on evaluating and reducing risk on complex liability coverage issues.

Deborah’s representative cases include disputes under claims-made liability policies, medical professional liability coverage, commercial general liability coverage, retention and allocation issues, and sexual misconduct claims under both professional liability coverage and commercial general liability coverages. Deborah obtained important holdings for the insurance industry in cases of first impression, and is a frequent lecturer on claims made coverage, self-insured retentions and large deductible policies, negotiation skills, and risk tolerance. She regularly conducts training for her clients' claims handlers on topics such as the proper processing of errors and omissions claims. 

Deborah has been recognized by Business Insurance as one of its 25 “Women to Watch” and by The Legal Intelligencer as a 2019 Professional Excellence Award Winner. She has been elected a Fellow of the American College of Coverage Counsel. In 2015, Governor Tom Wolf appointed Deborah to Pennsylvania's Commission for Women. Deborah is also recognized as a Women Leader in The Law by ALM Media.

Deborah graduated from Franklin and Marshall College. She is a graduate of Villanova Law School, where she was a member of the law review and received the Pulling Award for outstanding student authorship. Deborah also serves as an adjunct professor at the Drexel University School of Law.

Experience

News

Nearly 100 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers, 27 Practices Earn Top Recognition in Chambers USA 2024 Guide

June 10, 2024

Chambers USA rankings are based on an “assessment of a firm’s work and opinions from external market sources, with an emphasis on client feedback.” In order to be ranked in the guide, lawyers and firms must demonstrate “sustained excellence.”

Eighty-eight Cozen O’Connor Lawyers, 23 Practices Earn Top Recognition in Chambers USA 2023 Guide

June 05, 2023

Of the 88 lawyers ranked, 17 lawyers have been recognized nationally, and eighteen were recognized in Band 1. Eight of the firm's practice areas have been recognized nationally, and nine were ranked Band 1.

49 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys Named Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

June 01, 2022

Super Lawyers has selected 49 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to the 2022 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.

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.

47 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys Named Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

May 28, 2021

Super Lawyers has selected 47 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to the 2021 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.

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).

Fifty-Eight Cozen O'Connor Attorneys Named Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

June 05, 2020

Super Lawyers has selected 58 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to the 2020 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.

64 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys Named Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

May 21, 2019

Super Lawyers has selected 64 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to the 2019 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.

Fifty-four Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named 2018 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

June 12, 2018

Super Lawyers has named 54 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to its 2018 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.

Cozen O’Connor Litigator Deborah Minkoff Named by Governor Tom Wolf to the Pennsylvania Commission for Women

October 08, 2015

Minkoff is one of 26 women appointed by Governor Tom Wolf to serve on the Pennsylvania Commission for Women. The commissioners were sworn in on October 7, 2015 by Secretary of State Pedro Cortés prior to convening the first meeting of the Commission, which was held at The Governor’s Residence.

Cozen O’Connor Insurance Litigator Deborah Minkoff Receives 2012 “Women to Watch” Award From Business Insurance

December 05, 2012

Business Insurance's Women to Watch award is an important honor in the industry. The magazine’s feature is an annual salute to business leaders and influential executives who are doing outstanding work in commercial insurance, risk management, employee benefits and related fields.

Cozen O’Connor Presents 2008 Professional Liability Coverage Seminar

May 06, 2008

Cozen O'Connor recently presented its 2008 Professional Liability Coverage Seminar. The seminar was comprised of a series of lectures on professional liability topics by firm attorneys.

Publications

The Third Circuit Finds Defense Owed for Potentially Covered Advertising Injury [Alert]

January 13, 2022

Deborah Minkoff, Alissa Christopher, and Rebekah Shapiro discuss the Third Circuit's decision in Vitamin Energy, LLC v. Evanston Ins. Co.

Observations on Erie Insurance Exchange v. Moore: A Misapplication of Precedent

May 06, 2020

Debbie Minkoff and Stephen Kempa discuss the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's ruling in Erie Insurance Exchange v. Moore.

2019 Best Law Firm Mentor—Deborah Minkoff [The Legal Intelligencer]

June 17, 2019

Debbie Minkoff was featured in The Legal Intelligencer for being recognized as a 2019 Best Law Firm Mentor.

New Appleman on Insurance Law Library Edition

December 01, 2016

Deborah Minkoff and Abby Sher Author chapter 1A: Self-Insured Retentions Versus Large or Matching Deductibles in the 2016 New Appleman on Insurance Law Library Edition.

Pennsylvania High Court Rules First Manifestation Trigger Applies to Property Damage Claims [Global Insurance Alert]

December 22, 2014

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court in Pennsylvania Nat’l Mut. Cas. Ins. Co. v. St. John, et al., 2014 WL 7088712 (December 15, 2014), has affirmed that a first manifestation trigger applies to property damage claims under a CGL policy, triggering the single policy in effect when damage first manifests. St. John also confirmed that the multiple or continuous trigger adopted in J.H. France Refractories v. Allstate Ins. Co., 534 Pa. 29 (1993), which triggers all policies on a risk from exposure through manifestation, is unique to claims involving asbestos or other similarly latent diseases.

Events & Seminars

Past Events

2023 Professional Liability Seminar

September 28, 2023 - New York, NY

An Update on Sexual Abuse Cases

May 30, 2019 - Philadelphia, PA

2018 Professional Liability Seminar

November 01, 2018 - New York, NY

Industry Sectors

Education

  • Villanova University School of Law, J.D., 1984
  • Franklin and Marshall College, A.B., 1981

Awards & Honors

Chambers and Partners USA: Pennsylvania: Insurance 2024

Women Leader in The Law, ALM Media, 2021

Pennsylvania Commission for Women  2015-2022

Business Insurance "Woman to Watch" 2012

The Legal Intelligencer, 2019 Professional Excellence Award winner

Selected to Pennsylvania Super Lawyers 2012-2022. 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.

  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
  • American Bar Association
  • Defense Research Institute
  • American College of Coverage Counsel