Institutional Response Group

Cozen O’Connor’s Institutional Response Group delivers holistic responses to institutions confronting sexual and gender-based harassment and violence, child abuse, safety and security issues, and other forms of misconduct. We represent colleges, universities, K-12 educational and other child-serving institutions, as well as corporations, hospitals, religious institutions, and not-for-profit organizations, in connection with policy, compliance, investigations, and governance issues. 

Our Institutional Response attorneys have decades of experience conducting high-profile investigations into sexual and gender-based harassment and violence, child abuse, and other forms of misconduct, and assisting institutions in implementing trauma-informed, fair and impartial prevention and resolution processes.

Cozen O’Connor’s Institutional Response Group is led by recognized thought leaders in the field and features 10 pillars of practice:

  • Policy development and audit;
  • Design of infrastructure, systems and protocols;
  • Investigations;
  • Training and education;
  • Title IX, Clery, child protection, and other regulatory compliance;
  • Coordination with law enforcement in parallel investigations;
  • Counseling and advice;
  • Institutional governance;
  • Community engagement; and
  • Public service.

Our Institutional Response attorneys have been at the helm of high-profile investigations and engagements at major public and private educational institutions, including both secular and religious institutions, throughout the country. In addition, members of the Institutional Response Group have a long-standing investigative practice in the white collar, government and regulatory, and pharmaceutical arenas.

Publications

COVID-19 and Clery Act Considerations for Institutions of Higher Education

May 07, 2020

Cozen O’Connor’s Institutional Response Group and Margolis Healy outline the Clery Act implications for Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Events & Seminars

Upcoming Events

Here We Go Again: Hitting Reset on the Title IX Regulations

June 29, 2023 - Chicago, IL

Maureen Holland will present at the 2023 Annual NACUA Conference.

When Your Duty Is to Lead: Crisis Leadership for the College & University Lawyer

June 28, 2023 - Chicago, IL

Gina Maisto Smith will present at the 2023 Annual NACUA Conference.

Past Events

Toxic Lab Environments and Harassment in Research

November 04, 2022 - Washington, D.C.

NACUA Annual Conference 2022

June 26, 2022 - Pittsburgh, PA

The Ethics of High Stakes Communications

December 01, 2021 - Webinar

Health Law 2020

December 04, 2019 - Philadelphia, PA

#MeToo, Now What?

October 17, 2019 - Philadelphia, Pa.

Higher Education Protection Network Conference 2019

October 09, 2019 - West Lafayette, Ind.

Title IX and VAWA Regulations

June 10, 2019 - Berkeley, CA

SafeSport Discussion

June 10, 2019 - Washington D.C.

2018 Legal Issues in Higher Education Conference

October 15, 2018 - Burlington, VT

Title IX Investigator Training

September 24, 2018 - South Orange, NJ

Master the Disaster

July 19, 2018 - Schaumburg, IL

Creating a Culture of Compliance

June 06, 2018 - Asheville, NC

In The News

Cozen O’Connor Brings its Institutional Response and Subrogation Practices to Boston

February 28, 2023

Jeffrey Bourgeois and Shannon M. Warren — to its Boston office. Bourgeois, who previously served as assistant attorney general in the Human Trafficking Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office, joins the IRG as counsel. Warren, who previously served as partner and vice president at Uehlein & Associates, joins the firm’s Subrogation & Recovery Department as a member.

Leslie Gomez Selected to Latino Leaders Magazine 2021 Top Latino Lawyers List

December 09, 2021

Cozen O’Connor is pleased to announce that Leslie Gomez, vice chair of the firm’s Institutional Response Group, has been selected to Latino Leaders Magazine 2021 Top Latino Lawyers list.

Maureen Holland Named LGBT Bar Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40

March 02, 2020

Maureen Holland, a member of Cozen O'Connor’s Institutional Response Group, has been recognized by the LGBT Bar as one of the 40 Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40.

Gina Maisto Smith Receives Corporate Counsel 2019 Women, Influence & Power in Law Lifetime Achievement Award

December 09, 2019

Gina Maisto Smith has been selected by Corporate Counsel and InsideCounsel as an honoree for their 2019 Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards (formerly known as the National Women in Law Awards).

Institutional Response Group and Margolis Healy Continue to Expand with the Addition of Higher Education Student Affairs Professional, Christi Hurt

September 09, 2019

Cozen O’Connor and Margolis Healy announced that Christi Hurt has joined both firms as vice president for strategic initiatives. In this newly created position, Hurt will lead strategic initiatives for both Margolis Healy and Cozen O’Connor’s Institutional Response Group.

Colleges Turn to Law Firms to Sort Out Campus Crime Reporting

July 15, 2019

Gina Maisto Smith discussed with Big Law Business about the team of lawyers that law firms use for handling matters for schools.

Cozen O’Connor’s Institutional Response Group Continues to Expand with the Addition of Helen Park, Peter C. Lim, and Adam M. Shapiro

May 30, 2019

Each brings to the firm a strong background conducting sensitive, often highly charged investigations involving child abuse, sexual and gender-based harassment, interpersonal violence, elder abuse, discrimination and harassment, and other forms of serious misconduct.

Gina Maisto Smith Selected Among the Nation’s 100 Most Influential Lawyers

July 20, 2018

Gina Maisto Smith, chair of Cozen O'Connor’s Institutional Response Group, has been selected to The Business Journals’ Influencers: Law list, a list that spotlights 100 executives who have an impact on business and legal matters in communities across the nation.

Contacts

Gina Maisto Smith

Chair, Institutional Response Group

gmsmith@cozen.com

(215) 665-5540

Leslie M. Gomez

Vice Chair, Institutional Response Group

lgomez@cozen.com

(215) 665-5546

People

Awards

Leslie Gomez Selected to Latino Leaders Magazine 2021 Top Latino Lawyers List

December 09, 2021

Cozen O’Connor is pleased to announce that Leslie Gomez, vice chair of the firm’s Institutional Response Group, has been selected to Latino Leaders Magazine 2021 Top Latino Lawyers list.

Related Industries

Margolis Healy, an affiliate of Cozen O'Connor, is a professional services firm specializing in safety and security and regulatory compliance for higher education and K-12 schools, government agencies, and private entities across the country. Learn More

Upcoming Event:

When Your Duty Is to Lead: Crisis Leadership for the College & University Lawyer

Chicago, IL 06/28/2023

Gina Maisto Smith will present at the 2023 Annual NACUA Conference.

Event Details

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