Hon. Jeffrey A. Cohen (Ret.)

Hon. Jeffrey A. Cohen joins NAM after serving with distinction for over a decade as an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department, New York. Justice Cohen was appointed to the Appellate Division by Governor David A. Paterson. During his long tenure in this position, he handled with alacrity virtually every type of civil and criminal case emanating from the 10 counties within and around the city of New York. These cases principally focusing on commercial, contract, matrimonial, employment, labor law, election law, and real estate with regards to development/zoning issues, foreclosures and Article 78 proceedings. Justice Cohen authored numerous appellate opinions in the areas noted above.

Prior to his rapid ascension to the appellate bench in 2010, Justice Cohen was elected to New York State Supreme Court, 9th Judicial District which includes Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess and Orange counties. He also served as Judge from 2007-2009 on the Westchester County Court, while at the position he was appointed acting Supreme Court justice. During that time, Judge Cohen presided over hundreds of motions, hearings, and as well as numerous jury and bench trials.

He was elected and re-elected as town justice for the town Yorktown for 17 years. While serving as a town justice, he was a founding partner of Cohen Timko & Moses, LLP in White Plains. As a practicing attorney and litigator, he primarily handled civil and criminal litigation, real estate, bankruptcy, cooperative and condominium board representation, as well as commercial, personal injury matters.

Based upon his experience both on the bench and as an attorney, he has garnered a vast amount of knowledge and experience in a variety of case types which include but are not limited to personal injury, slip and fall, auto accidents, premises liability, attorney malpractice, medical malpractice including nursing home litigation experience, high end matrimonial involving financial disputes and monetary distribution, construction and labor law, employment law including wage and hour, discrimination matters, wrongful termination, sexual harassment, and negligence.

Justice Cohen is well regarded for his patient, fair, respectful and unbiased manner when deciding cases and assisting parties with the settlement of their disputes.

For over 8 years, he served as the Chair of the Westchester County Board of Ethics appointed by the Westchester County Executive resolving conflicts between county employees and county government. In 2015, he was appointed by the Chief Judge of the State of New York to the Statewide Commission on Attorney Discipline. The purpose of the commission was to find uniformity with respect to attorney discipline throughout the state of New York. While serving as Justice on the Appellate division, he also served on the Committee to Oversee Representation of the Indigent in Criminal Cases.

Justice Cohen co-authored several articles on consumer protection and autism and the law which outlined the challenging legal issues faced by the courts and how to handle actions and damages. He remains active in bar association activities including serving as the President and Founder of the Justice Brandeis Law Society, 9th Judicial District, and President and Founder of the Jewish Bar Alliance, an umbrella organization of the five Jewish Bar Associations of Greater New York.

The Independent Judicial Election Qualifications Commission rated Justice Cohen as highly qualified. He has been consistently rated “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell Law in legal ability and ethics —the highest rating recognized by this national publication.

Justice Cohen is available to arbitrate and mediate cases throughout the United States.