Cohen Milstein Hausfeld & Toll

What Cohen Milstein Hausfeld & Toll does

Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC is a privately held plaintiffs'-side class action law firm founded in 1969, with principal offices in Washington, D.C. and New York and additional offices in Chicago and Palm Beach. The firm represents workers, consumers, small business owners, investors, and whistleblowers in complex class action litigation across practice areas including Antitrust, Civil Rights & Employment, Complex Tort Litigation, Consumer Protection, ERISA & Employee Benefits, Securities Litigation & Investor Protection, Whistleblower, Human Rights, and Public Client work. Its case docket has produced several of the largest class action recoveries in U.S. history, including the $1 billion Wells Fargo securities settlement (the 17th largest securities class action settlement ever), the $398 million Perdue poultry workers antitrust recovery, the $375 million MMA fighters wage suppression settlement, and over $1 billion in aggregate ERISA/retirement plan recoveries.

The firm generates revenue primarily through contingency fee arrangements on class action and major litigation matters, supplemented by hourly fee billing on select complex matters. Client acquisition is driven by reputation-led demand: precedent-setting verdicts and settlements generate media coverage (Law360, Reuters, Bloomberg Law, PR Newswire), which in turn drives inbound plaintiff inquiries and professional referrals. The firm supplements this with co-counsel arrangements on mega-cases (notably with Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann), institutional investor mandates from public pension funds and Taft-Hartley plans serving as lead plaintiffs, and attorney participation in ABA, Law360, and Practising Law Institute speaking engagements. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; contingency fee percentages are negotiated case-by-case based on complexity and risk.

The firm is independently owned and operated by its partner attorneys under a PLLC structure. Managing Partner Benjamin D. Brown leads the firm; Steven J. Toll co-chairs Securities Litigation; Michelle C. Yau chairs Employee Benefits/ERISA; and Kathleen Wolfe serves as Of Counsel in Civil Rights & Employment. The firm maintains no technology products, software platforms, or AI-native service offerings — its deliverables are legal representation services, and operational technology consists of standard law firm practice management and e-discovery tools.

Name

Cohen Milstein Hausfeld & Toll

Legal name

Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC

Website

https://cohenmilstein.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC is a plaintiffs'-side class action law firm founded in 1969, representing workers, consumers, investors, and whistleblowers in antitrust, securities, ERISA, and civil rights class actions across offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, and Palm Beach.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plaintiffs' Class Action Legal Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

Keywords

• Class action litigation
• Securities litigation
• ERISA litigation
• Antitrust litigation
• Consumer protection litigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Contingency Fee Litigation: The firm operates primarily on a contingency fee basis for class actions and major litigation, where attorneys receive a percentage of settlements or judgments. This is the dominant revenue model for plaintiff-side class action work.
2. Hourly Fee Arrangements: For certain matters, the firm bills hourly for legal services, particularly in complex litigation requiring extensive discovery and motion practice.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cohen Milstein is a plaintiffs'-side class action and complex civil litigation law firm that represents workers, consumers, small business owners, investors, and whistleblowers against large corporate defendants. The firm delivers legal representation in matters such as securities fraud, ERISA/retirement plan mismanagement, antitrust wage suppression, consumer protection, civil rights, and whistleblower claims, typically on a contingency fee basis. Core deliverables are legal counsel, lead-plaintiff representation, and class action settlements, including precedent-setting recoveries such as the $1B Wells Fargo securities settlement and the $398M poultry workers antitrust labor settlement.

Product overview

Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC is a plaintiffs-side class action law firm providing legal services across multiple practice areas including Antitrust, Civil Rights & Employment, Complex Tort Litigation, Consumer Protection, ERISA & Employee Benefits, Ethics & Fiduciary Counseling, Human Rights, Public Client, Securities Litigation & Investor Protection, and Whistleblower. The firm does not offer technology products or software services; all offerings are legal representation services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Antitrust Litigation Plaintiff-side antitrust and complex civil litigation representing workers, consumers, and businesses harmed by anticompetitive conduct, including wage-fixing and labor market collusion cases. The firm has secured record-setting antitrust labor recoveries such as the $398M Perdue Farms poultry workers case.
• Civil Rights & Employment Litigation Plaintiff-side representation in civil rights, employment discrimination, and workplace protections matters, including cases tied to the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and workforce misclassification.
• Complex Tort Litigation Plaintiff-side complex tort and product liability representation, including mass tort and forced-labor matters (for example, the Bumble Bee Seafoods forced-labor suit).
• Consumer Protection Litigation Plaintiff-side consumer protection litigation representing consumers harmed by unfair or deceptive business practices.
• ERISA & Employee Benefits Litigation Plaintiff-side ERISA class actions on behalf of employees and retirees whose 401(k), pension, or ESOP retirement plans were mismanaged by plan fiduciaries. The firm has recovered over $1 billion for workers in ERISA matters including Wells Fargo, Nationwide, and Beacon/Madoff cases.
• Ethics & Fiduciary Counseling Counseling and representation on fiduciary duties, ethics, and governance issues relevant to plaintiff-side matters and corporate reform.
• Human Rights Litigation Plaintiff-side representation in human rights matters, including claims tied to forced labor and worker exploitation.
• Public Client Litigation Plaintiff-side legal services for public clients, including matters brought on behalf of states, municipalities, and public entities.
• Securities Litigation & Investor Protection Plaintiff-side securities class actions and investor protection representation for individuals and institutional investors harmed by corporate fraud, merger misrepresentation, and disclosure failures. Notable recoveries include the $1B Wells Fargo and $167.5M EQT settlements.
• Whistleblower Representation Plaintiff-side representation of whistleblowers under federal and state qui tam and whistleblower protection statutes, including guidance on CFTC whistleblower award determinations.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1B settlement for Wells Fargo investors - 17th largest securities class action settlement ever
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-lead counsel relationship in major securities class actions including Wells Fargo ($1B settlement), Silvergate ($37.5M settlement), and other significant cases. Long-standing co-counsel partnership in complex securities litigation.
• Scott & Scott Attorneys at LawmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-lead counsel partnership in shareholder derivative litigation including Abbott Laboratories infant formula case. Collaborative relationship in complex corporate governance and securities matters.
• Gibbs MuramajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel partnership in Amazon Flex driver arbitration matters representing thousands of delivery workers in California, Illinois, and Massachusetts in worker misclassification claims.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pomerantz LLP: Long-established securities class action firm with similar plaintiff-side orientation. Frequently serves as lead or co-lead counsel in securities fraud cases competing with Cohen Milstein.
• Berger Montague: Philadelphia-based complex litigation and class action firm with overlapping antitrust, securities, and consumer protection practices. Similar plaintiff-side orientation and case profile.
• Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro: Plaintiff-side class action firm with strong consumer protection and antitrust practices. Competes for similar wage suppression and consumer class action mandates.
• Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann: One of the largest U.S. plaintiff-side class action firms with parallel focus on securities litigation, ERISA, and complex class actions. Co-counsel partner on Wells Fargo and Silvergate, making it both a direct competitor and collaborator in the same lead-counsel pool.
• Grant & Eisenhofer: Plaintiff-side firm focused on securities, shareholder derivative, and corporate governance litigation. Directly competes for institutional investor lead plaintiff appointments.
• Motley Rice: Major plaintiffs' firm with strong securities, antitrust, and mass tort practices. Similar scale, national footprint, and plaintiff-side orientation, often competing for the same complex class action matters.
• Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein: Nationally recognized plaintiffs' firm with comparable antitrust, securities, and consumer protection class action work. Frequently co-counsel or co-lead on matters alongside Cohen Milstein.
• Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law: Plaintiff-side securities and antitrust firm with comparable shareholder derivative and class action work. Existing co-counsel partner (Abbott Labs) and direct competitor in securities litigation.
• Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check: Plaintiff-side firm with comparable securities class action and corporate governance practices. Competes directly for institutional lead plaintiff appointments in mid-to-large cap securities cases.
• Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd: Premier securities and shareholder class action firm consistently ranked among the top plaintiff-side firms nationally. Directly competes with Cohen Milstein for lead plaintiff mandates in major securities fraud cases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cohen Milstein Hausfeld & Toll