What Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna does

Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna LLP is a New York-based boutique law firm that represents exclusively corporate policyholders in high-stakes insurance recovery and coverage litigation. Founded in January 2021 when four partners (Robin Cohen, Adam Ziffer, Kenneth Frenchman, and Keith McKenna) departed McKool Smith after working together for more than 20 years, the firm concentrates on disputes against insurance carriers involving property damage, business interruption, cyber, D&O/E&O, representations and warranties, asbestos, environmental, and general liability coverage. The firm reports recovering more than $10 billion for clients, 25+ precedent-setting cases, and 100+ Fortune 500 client representations across industries including retail (Walmart), telecommunications (Verizon), pharmaceuticals (Pfizer), healthcare (Conduent, Clover Health), manufacturing (Pella, Philips, Warren Pumps), financial services (MBIA, TIAA), and government (NJ Transit, Port Authority of NY/NJ).

The firm's service portfolio is organized around a core Insurance Recovery practice with six sub-services (Property Damage + Business Interruption, Cyber, Representations & Warranties, D&O & E&O, General Liability, plus commercial litigation and indemnification/advancement) and an Insurance Advisory line that provides pre-dispute counseling. Revenue is generated through professional-services fee structures — hourly billing, contingency arrangements, and hybrid fee models — on individual high-value matters rather than volume or subscription work. There is no proprietary technology product; the deliverable is bespoke legal representation leveraging partner-led strategy, deep trial and appellate experience, and an established record of precedent wins in state supreme courts and federal courts.

The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales driven by partner-led relationships, repeat-client engagement, referrals from outside counsel and in-house teams, and reputation-based acquisition through rankings (Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation Tier 1, Law360 Practice Group of the Year), earned media, and conference speaking. Headcount stands at approximately 36+ attorneys across 12 partners, 1 managing partner, 1 chair, 1 counsel, and 21 associates, with offices in New York and matter coverage extending across all major U.S. regions plus select international matters involving London and Bermuda markets.

Name

Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna

Legal name

Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna LLP

Website

https://cohenziffer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna is a New York-based boutique law firm founded in 2021 that exclusively represents Fortune 500 and large corporate policyholders in high-stakes insurance recovery, coverage litigation, and advisory matters across property, cyber, D&O, R&W, and general liability lines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Recovery Legal Services

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

Keywords

• Insurance recovery law
• Coverage litigation
• Policyholder representation
• Commercial litigation
• Insurance advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Insurance Recovery: Professional legal services billed through hourly fees, contingency arrangements, and hybrid fee structures for insurance coverage litigation and recovery on behalf of policyholders

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna is a boutique law firm that represents corporate policyholders in insurance recovery and coverage disputes. The firm pursues denied or disputed claims against insurers through litigation, arbitration, and negotiation, organized around sub-practices covering property damage and business interruption, cyber, representations and warranties, directors and officers / errors and omissions, and general liability. It also provides pre-dispute insurance advisory counseling, indemnification and advancement representation, and general commercial litigation for complex business disputes.

Product overview

Cohen Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna is a boutique law firm specializing exclusively in insurance recovery on behalf of policyholders. The firm's core offering is its Insurance Recovery practice, which operates as a unified service supported by specialized sub-practices covering Property Damage + Business Interruption, Cyber, Representations + Warranties, Directors + Officers & Errors + Omissions, and General Liability. Additional service lines include Insurance Advisory Services (pre-dispute counseling), Indemnification and Advancement, and Commercial Litigation. The firm does not offer a technology product but provides legal services focused exclusively on helping corporate policyholders recover insurance coverage from insurers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Insurance Recovery Core practice area representing corporate policyholders in insurance coverage disputes. Includes litigation, arbitration, and negotiations with insurers to recover denied or disputed coverage and benefits across sub-practice areas including property damage and business interruption, cyber, representations and warranties, D&O and E&O, and general liability.
• Insurance Advisory Services Counseling services that help corporate clients understand their insurance policies, evaluate coverage positions, and plan strategic approaches to maximize insurance recovery before disputes arise.
• Commercial Litigation General commercial litigation representation for complex business disputes for corporate clients beyond insurance coverage matters.
• Indemnification and Advancement Legal services securing indemnification payments and advancement of defense costs for corporate clients in legal proceedings, including officer and director indemnity obligations.
• Property Damage + Business Interruption Coverage Insurance recovery representation for property damage claims and associated business interruption losses, including catastrophe-related losses such as Superstorm Sandy claims.
• Cyber Insurance Recovery Insurance coverage representation for cyber-related incidents, data breaches, social engineering and email spoofing fraud (e.g., commercial crime insurance claims for computer fraud loss), and other technology-driven risks.
• Representations + Warranties Insurance Recovery Insurance recovery representation for breaches of representations and warranties in M&A and business transactions.
• Directors + Officers & Errors + Omissions Coverage D&O and E&O insurance coverage recovery for corporate officers, directors, and professionals facing claims, including securities litigation-related coverage demands.
• General Liability Coverage Recovery General liability insurance coverage recovery for various commercial claims, premises liability, and other liability matters subject to coverage disputes with insurers.

Quantifiable outcome

• $10+ billion in recoveries for clients
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Reed Smith: Reed Smith is a major international firm with a sizable insurance recovery practice serving policyholders alongside broader commercial litigation and transactional offerings. It competes with Cohen Ziffer on Fortune 500 coverage mandates while providing a much wider range of complementary services.
• Mintz: Mintz is a full-service Am Law firm with a recognized insurance recovery practice representing policyholders in coverage disputes. It overlaps with Cohen Ziffer on insurance recovery matters while offering broader corporate, IP, and litigation capabilities.
• Hunton Andrews Kurth: Hunton Andrews Kurth is a national firm with a long-standing insurance coverage practice representing policyholders in commercial and environmental coverage disputes. It competes for similar Fortune 500 policyholder work with greater geographic breadth than Cohen Ziffer.
• Haynes and Boone: Haynes and Boone is a national firm with a substantial insurance recovery practice representing corporate policyholders. It offers broader practice breadth than Cohen Ziffer while competing for similar high-value insurance coverage mandates.

Direct peers

• Anderson Kill: Anderson Kill is a closely comparable boutique law firm focused on insurance recovery for policyholders, with a similar specialty-only positioning, Fortune 500 client base, and Chambers-recognized practice. It is widely regarded as the most direct competitor to Cohen Ziffer in the policyholder-side insurance recovery niche.
• White and Williams: White and Williams is a mid-size firm with a well-established insurance coverage practice representing corporate policyholders in complex coverage litigation, with notable strength in environmental, asbestos, and property coverage matters.
• McKool Smith: McKool Smith is the litigation boutique from which Cohen Ziffer's founding partners departed in 2021. It maintains a substantial insurance recovery practice alongside its broader commercial litigation work, making it a direct competitor for the same policyholder mandates and legal talent pool.
• Zelle LLP: Zelle LLP is a litigation boutique with a well-regarded insurance practice that handles complex coverage disputes on behalf of corporate policyholders. It competes with Cohen Ziffer for bet-the-company insurance recovery engagements in U.S. courts.
• Kasowitz Benson Torres: Kasowitz is a litigation-focused firm with a recognized insurance recovery practice representing policyholders in high-stakes coverage disputes. It competes with Cohen Ziffer for sophisticated corporate insurance recovery mandates in New York and nationally.
• Wiley Rein: Wiley Rein is a Washington, DC-based firm with a long-standing, nationally recognized insurance coverage practice that represents both insurers and policyholders. It competes directly with Cohen Ziffer for high-stakes insurance recovery matters and appellate coverage work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cohenziffer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Ziffer Frenchman & McKenna