Jeffrey Michael Cohen

Jeffrey Michael Cohen specializes in trials and appeals of matters involving insurance coverage, insurance bad faith, and complex commercial disputes. He has tried more than 100 jury trials as first chair and argued more than 100 appeals in the Florida Supreme Court and Florida’s District Courts of Appeal.

Jeff has been board certified as an expert in civil trial law by the Florida Bar since 1983 and was among the first group of Florida lawyers to receive that recognition. Fewer than 50 lawyers in the entire state of Florida have maintained the distinction of board certification for more than 40 years.

Jeff frequently publishes and lectures on matters pertaining to insurance law, commercial litigation, and trial advocacy. He has been an adjunct professor of trial skills at the University of Miami School of Law for more than 30 years and a faculty member of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. He has served on the faculty of The Florida Bar Advanced Trial Advocacy Seminar for more than 15 years and has taught the South Eastern Circuit Bar Mess Foundation Advanced International Advocacy Course at Oxford University’s Keble College in Oxford, England, the most demanding and intensive advocacy course in the U.K. He also regularly presents programs on courtroom advocacy at the University of Florida College of Law and Nova Southeastern University College of Law.

A longtime leader within the Florida Bar, Jeff served two terms as chair of the Civil Trial Law Certification Committee, two terms as chair of the Board of Legal Specialization and Education, and chair of an Eleventh Circuit Grievance Committee. Nominated many times over for his exemplary professionalism, excellence, and commitment to pro bono, Jeff is the recipient of the Florida Bar President’s Award for his service on the bar’s special committee on professionalism.

Jeff was previously an assistant public defender and major crimes prosecutor in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

• Insurance related matters, including insurance coverage, bad faith litigation, and the defense of insureds at the request of their carriers.
• Represented financial institutions in asset recovery, loan workouts, and the defense of lender liability claims.
• Real property disputes, including easements, title issues, foreclosures, and specific performance.
• Professional liability and medical-related matters.
• Litigated disputes related to probate, trust, guardianship, and fiduciaries.
• Business torts and commercial disputes.

• Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by The Florida Bar
• AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
• Top Lawyers, South Florida Legal Guide
• Who's Who in American Law
• Florida Monthly – Florida's Best Lawyers
• The Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law (2005–2024)
• Florida Super Lawyers, Super Lawyers Magazine (2017–2018)

• American Bar Association
  • Past Chair, Bad Faith Subcommittee of the Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee, Section of Litigation
• The Florida Bar
  • Board of Legal Specialization and Education
  • Past Chair, Board of Legal Specialization and Education (two terms)
  • Past Chair, Civil Trial Law Certification Committee (three terms)
  • Past Chair and Member, Grievance Committees (two terms)
  • Faculty Member, Trial Lawyers Section Advanced Trial Advocacy Program (2005–present)
• Dade County Bar Association
  • Past Director
  • Chair, Professional Arbitration Committee
  • Chair, Judicial Poll Committee
• National Institute for Trial Advocacy
  • Faculty Member, teaches national courses for lawyers in Deposition Skills and Trial Advocacy (1995–present)
• Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law
  • Adjunct Professor of Law, teaches courses in Intensive Trial Advocacy and Advanced Intensive Trial Advocacy
• University of Miami School of Law
  • Adjunct Professor of Trial Skills, teaches courses in Pre-Trial Civil Litigation, Pre-Trial Criminal Litigation, and Trial Advocacy (1988–present)
• Appointed by the governor of Florida to serve as special assistant state attorney to the Leon County grand jury in Tallahassee, Florida
• Appointed to serve as special assistant state attorney in Dade County for public corruption cases
• Appointed to the Dade County Alliance for Ethical Government

• "Spring Break Trial Clinic," University of Florida Levin College of Law, Gainesville, FL (March 2017)
• "The Bad Faith Trial From Complaint to Verdict," ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Annual Conference, Tucson, AZ (March 4, 2017)
• “Making It All Go Away – How to Settle the Contested Coverage Case,” ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Annual Conference, Tucson, AZ (March 3, 2016 )
• “The Right and Duty to Settle: Bad Faith and Negligence Exposure Associated With Third-Party Claim Handling,” ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Annual Conference, Tucson, AZ (March 5, 2015 )
• "Success in Insurance Coverage Mediation: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow," ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Annual Conference, Tucson, AZ (March 7, 2014)
• "Expert Witnesses – Can't Live With 'Em, Can't Live Without 'Em," ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Annual Conference, Tucson, AZ (March 1, 2013)
• “The Perfect 10 – Invaluable Tips for Litigating Your Insurance Coverage Case,” ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Annual Conference, Tucson, AZ (March 1–3, 2012)
• “Building Trial Skills: Florida,” Faculty Member for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy yearly seminar, Fort Lauderdale, FL
• “Institutional Bad Faith – Putting the Insurer’s Practices and Procedures on Trial,” ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Annual Conference (2011)
• "The Bad Faith Set-Up: Doin’ It and Dodgin’ It,” ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Annual Conference (2009)
• “Oops! Loss of Coverage for Failure of Policy Conditions,” ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Annual Conference (2008)
• “Cross Examination and Impeachment,” Advanced Evidence CLE Seminar of The Florida Bar (2007)
• "Advanced Trial Advocacy," Trial Lawyers Section of The Florida Bar and the University of Florida Levin College of Law (2006–present)
• “Honesty Is the Best Policy [If There’s Money in It] – Fraud, Misrepresentation and Collusion in the Insurance Context,” ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Annual Conference (2007)
• “Recovery of Extra-Contractual (consequential) Damages in First-Party Bad Faith Cases,"ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Annual Conference (2006)
• “Anatomy of the Board of Legal Specialization and Education,” concerning the history and future of certification of legal experts, ABA National Roundtable on Legal Specialization (2005)
• “Declaratory Relief – The Antidote for Bad Faith,” ABA Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Annual Conference (2005)
• “Relationship Between Fidelity Bonds, Directors and Officers Policies, and Errors and Omissions Policies,” Fidelity Law Association Annual Meeting (2003)
• “Practicing With Professionalism,” The Florida Bar (on numerous occasions)