Robin Cohen

In her 30-plus-year career as one of the nation’s foremost litigators, Robin Cohen has consistently taken on and beaten the world’s largest insurance companies. Recognized as one of the most effective and innovative insurance lawyers in the world, Robin has recovered over $10 billion for policyholder plaintiffs like Pfizer, Walmart, CBS, Verizon, and AMC. These and other blue-chip corporations repeatedly choose her to secure coverage for catastrophic losses.

Robin’s career highlights have involved the biggest threats to business of the day. Early on, she earned a $1.85 billion trial award (upheld on appeal) to cover the asbestos liabilities of a manufacturer. After Superstorm Sandy, Robin secured a first-of-its-kind decision from the New Jersey Supreme Court allowing the NJ Transit System to access $400 million in coverage.

Robin’s work has established precedent in vital areas of D&O insurance, including a precedent-setting victory at the Delaware Supreme Court for Harman International Industries, when the court found that Harman’s insurers cannot rely on a so-called “bump-up” exclusion to evade coverage for a $28 million settlement of an underlying shareholder class action arising from a 2016 merger between Samsung and Harman. The decision established critical guidance regarding the scope of bump-up exclusions and is expected to have broad implications for D&O coverage in M&A litigation.

In another recent groundbreaking win, also at the Delaware Supreme Court, Robin secured a unanimous decision for AMC Entertainment Holdings that affirmed coverage for a $99.3 million stock-based settlement under AMC’s insurance policy. The ruling established an important precedent for policyholders seeking coverage for settlements paid with non-cash compensation and reinforced that policy interpretation begins and ends with the language of the policy itself.

Robin also co-led Cohen Ziffer’s trial team to secure the extremely rare reversal of a jury verdict while representing Conduent State Healthcare in its pursuit of insurance coverage relating to a $236 million Medicaid settlement. The decision was upheld by the Delaware Supreme Court in early 2025.

In a high-profile case touching on national issues, Robin is championing Walmart’s claim for billions of dollars in coverage for opioid-related liability. She recently defeated efforts by dozens of Walmart’s insurers to dismiss the action and earned a ruling establishing Walmart’s right to coverage for defense costs in thousands of opioid-related lawsuits. The court’s precedent-setting decision, issued in January 2024, addressed multiple issues of first impression under Arkansas law.

Outside the courtroom, Robin focuses on tackling bet-the-company insurance issues that materially impact the bottom line for companies and developing strategies that solve clients’ problems while utilizing trial expertise to maximize recoveries against insurers. Organizations rely on her to address coverage questions stemming from securities litigation, regulatory change, governmental investigations, and cybersecurity-related losses.

Robin’s courtroom skills and trial success have earned her recognition as one of The National Law Journal’s 50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America, a Law360 MVP for Insurance eight times, a Legal 500 Advice to Policyholders Hall of Fame honoree, a Benchmark Litigation Top 100 Trial Lawyer in America, Top 250 Women in Litigation, Insurance Lawyer of the Year, and a Crain’s New York Business Notable Woman in Law.