RJ is our Chairman and Chief Development Officer. He was previously a founding partner and, for nearly 20 years, the Managing Partner of a law firm that grew from eight founding partners to more than 400 lawyers across the country. In his role at that firm, he was a nuclear and instrumental leader in the development and implementation of the firm's strategic vision, its practice development, its geographic expansion, and its evolution into a national firm. Thus, RJ brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his role as Chief Development Officer of Cohen Vaughan, helping guide the enterprise’s strategic initiatives and its best practices.
RJ is an AV Preeminent-rated litigator with more than 35 years of experience. He is admitted to practice in state and federal courts in both New York and North Carolina, and was also admitted (now retired) in Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Connecticut. He is admitted to the United States Courts of Appeals for both the Second and Third Circuits, as well as the United States Supreme Court, and is a former registered foreign lawyer in the United Kingdom.
Throughout the course of his career, RJ’s practice primarily involved sophisticated insurance coverage and bad faith matters, reinsurance, and D&O and E&O litigation. He has been named to Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers and Business First's Legal Elite many times over, and has also been named many times as one of the most influential business leaders in the Western New York region, where he lives.
RJ sat on DRI's Law Practice Management Committee, is a former national co-chair of the DRI Insurance Company Relations Subcommittee, and has served on the steering committees of both the Insurance Law and Life, Health & Disability sections. He is also a former Chair of the CLM National Committee and is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel, the Professional Liability Underwriting Society, and the Professional Liability Defense Federation. He has also been inducted into the American College of Coverage Counsel, is a longstanding Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and a former lecturer and instructor with the CPCU Society. He was a featured speaker at the 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 CPCU Annual Meetings.
RJ is a former champion physique competitor and tries to stay in shape when he isn’t busy watching every Guy Ritchie movie ever made, every chance he gets. He can also juggle, walk on his hands, make balloon animals, ride a unicycle, and draw, which for many years made him a hit at birthday parties for his nine kids and, now, his grandchildren.
Practices
Admissions
- New York
- North Carolina
- Illinois (Retired)
- Connecticut (Retired)
- Pennsylvania (Retired)
- United States District Court for the Western District of New York
- United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- United States Supreme Court
Education
- State University of New York at Buffalo Law School, J.D., cum laude
- State University of New York at Buffalo School of Management, B.S., with distinction
Honors & Recognition
- Best Lawyers in America - Insurance Law
- Business First's Legal Elite of Western New York - Legal Leader
- Business First's Legal Elite of Western New York - Insurance
- Upstate New York Super Lawyers
- Super Lawyers - Corporate Counsel Edition
- Business First's Power 250
- Business First's C-Level Executive Award
- American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell - Top Rated Lawyer in Litigation
- American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell - Top Rated Lawyer in Insurance Law
- Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating: AV Preeminent
Professional & Civic
- Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (Former Chair, National Committee)
- Defense Research Institute
- Former member, Law Practice Management Committee and Co Chair of Programming
- Former member, Construction Law Committee - Construction Insurance Coverage Specialized Litigation Group Chair
- Former Insurance Company Relations Subcommittee Vice Chair
- Former Life, Health and Disability Insurance Committee Membership Chair
- Former member, Insurance Law Committee: Professional Liability Insurance Specialized Litigation Group
- Inductee, American College of Coverage Counsel
- Member, International Association of Defense Counsel
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- Member, Professional Liability Underwriting Society
- Member, Professional Liability Defense Federation
