Robert J. Cosgrove
Executive Partner
Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey
Professional Experience
A courtroom-tested trial lawyer and appellate advocate, Executive Partner Robert J. Cosgrove has handled cases in state and federal venues across the United States as well as in the International Court of Commerce. Bob litigates a very wide range of matters, including premises and liquor liability cases; trucking and motor vehicle claims; product liability and product recall suits; personal care home, senior living and home health aide cases; and cases involving construction defects, catastrophic personal injury and significant property damage claims. He defends individuals and businesses in complex professional liability and errors and omissions cases, advises clients on fraud-based and other first- and third-party coverage issues, and investigates and litigates fine art, jewelers block policy and cargo cases. A Certified Information Privacy Professional, US, (CIPP/US) and a Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), he advises on cases related to fraud, data privacy, and cybersecurity claims and investigations.
Before joining WCM, Bob was an Assistant District Attorney with the Nassau County (NY) District Attorney’s Office, where he prosecuted cases ranging from violations of environmental conservation law to gang assaults and high-level narcotics transactions.
Honors and Distinctions
Bob is OSHA 10 certified and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional, US, (CIPP/US) and Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).
At Fordham University Bob was a Stein Scholar in Public Interest Law and Ethics (which is where he met his wife with whom he has four children) and a member of the Fordham Environmental Law Journal. He was inducted into Georgetown University’s Theatre Hall of Fame in 2003.
Professional Activities
A Thompson Reuter Super Lawyer, (No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. A description of the Super Lawyers selection methodology can be found here.), Bob is a frequent speaker and conducts seminars for organizations, including the International Underwriting Association of London and the Property & Liability Resource Bureau as well as for numerous clients. Bob’s writing has appeared in various books and journals.
Bob is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a by-application-only national association of trial lawyers who have obtained multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements. He has been elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a research organization dedicated to the study of law, legal institutions and legal processes.
In addition to his work for clients, Bob sits as a judge pro tempore, handling settlement conferences in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. He also serves as a member of WCM’s Management Committee, the firm’s governing body.
Bob is the former President of the Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel and the current Vice-president, Northeast Region of the Pennsylvania Defense Institute. He is a member of the Regis Bar Association.
Publications
Start Spreading the News: A Primer on Cyber Legislation in New York, Defense Research Institute’s Data and Security Dispatch, Volume 6, Issue 1 (May 27, 2021) (co-author with John Amato).
Is Our Biometric Data Protected, Counterpoint (December 2020) (co-author with Lauren Berenbaum)
Recent Changes to PA’s Statute of Limitations Spark Coverage Questions, Counterpoint (January 2020) (co-author with Lauren Berenbaum).
Can You Resell Misappropriated Art?, Freeman’s Newsletter, (January 2019) (co-author with Lauren Berenbaum).
Porsches in London: Software, Cars and Recalls, Defense Research Institute Data and Security Dispatch, (December 2018).
Somebody’s Watching Me: Defending Data Breach Claims, Counterpoint, (May 2015) (co-author with Adam Gomez).
Winning One for the Gipper: The Looming Legal Threats to American Football, Counterpoint (December 2012) (co-author with Paul Clark and Adam Gomez).
Surveillance! Out of the Shadows and into the Courtroom, Counterpoint, (April 2012) (co-author with Remy Cahn).
How Many Acts Can Comprise a Single Occurrence? The Pennsylvania Supreme Court Weighs In, 2 Bloomberg Law Reports (Insurance Law) 11 (2008).
N.Y. Ins. §3420(d) Does Not Apply to Tenders Between Insurers, 235 N.Y.L.J. 74 (2006) (co-author with John Mulcahy).
Sidewalk Liability Is Transferred from New York City to Landlords, 230 N.Y.L.J. 52 (2003) (co-author with Paul F. Clark).
A New Vision of Lawyers, 26 Fordham Urb. L.J. 1669, (May 1999).
Publications
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Education
J.D., Fordham University School of Law
B.S.F.S., Georgetown University
Bar Admissions
New York
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Court Admissions
Southern District of New York
Northern District of New York
Eastern District of New York
Western District of New York
District of New Jersey
Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Middle District of Pennsylvania
Western District of Pennsylvania
Second Circuit Court of Appeals
Third Circuit Court of Appeals
United States Supreme Court