Jeffrey B. Cohen

Washington, DC

Jeff Cohen is an arbitrator, mediator, and expert witness. He retired from the practice of law in 2025 after a forty-five year career in employee benefits that was split between the private sector and government. His distinguished tenure at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation culminated in his appointment as Chief Counsel, where he led the legal staff in representing the agency in ERISA litigation and in bankruptcy proceedings, including the largest, most complex, and highest profile corporate reorganizations of that era. He has litigated a wide range of employee benefit disputes at all levels of the federal judicial system, as well as in arbitrations and state courts. He earned his JD from Georgetown University Law Center in 1980 and his BA from the State University of New York at Binghamton in 1977. Jeff was named a “Dealmaker of the Year” by the American Lawyer in 2006 for his work on behalf of PBGC in the United Airlines bankruptcy and other major bankruptcy cases, one of a very small number of government attorneys ever to be so honored. He has been recognized in Best Lawyers in America and as a DC Super Lawyer (2010 through 2025). In 2017, DC Super Lawyers named him as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Washington, DC. Jeff is married to Fellow Emeritus Carol Connor Cohen.

DB Plans

Fiduciary/Other Title I Issues

Multiemployer Plans

PBGC Issues