Gregory B. Cohen

Gregory Cohen is a Partner in the Transportation Litigation and Construction Defect Litigation Practice Groups of Messner Reeves LLP.  Mr. Cohen has defended and protected the interests of a global transportation company and large residential home builders and developers throughout California.  Mr. Cohen has also handled numerous personal injury matters on behalf of both Plaintiffs and Defendants. He has served as outside counsel for a private company in the oil and gas industry.

Mr. Cohen’s transportation practice involves defending multi-million-dollar catastrophic injury and wrongful death claims.  In handling these matters, Mr. Cohen takes an expert approach to evaluate the claims and litigate the issues favorably for his clients.  Mr. Cohen has successfully argued numerous motions, taken the depositions of percipient and expert witnesses, mediated claims, and participated in trial.

Mr. Cohen’s construction practice routinely involves multi-million-dollar, complex matters brought by both individual homeowners and homeowners associations concerning allegations of construction deficiencies, including a precedent-setting construction industry case that will have long-term repercussions on how participants write construction indemnity clauses (UDC Homes, Inc. v. CH2M Hill (2010) 181 Cal.App.4th 10.)  As part of his work in these areas, Mr. Cohen has participated in all aspects of litigation, including expert and percipient witness depositions, discovery matters, law and motion, mediation, trial preparation, and trial.

Mr. Cohen has also successfully negotiated numerous settlements on behalf of private clients related to breach of contract disputes, property disputes, and personal injury claims.  In his role as outside corporate counsel, Mr. Cohen is responsible for reviewing, drafting, and negotiating employment agreements, independent contractor agreements, master service agreements, and termination agreements.

Mr. Cohen was born in Santa Monica, California, and graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara, in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and a Minor in Sports Management.

In 2002, Mr. Cohen received his Juris Doctorate from Santa Clara University School of Law. While in law school, Mr. Cohen served as Comments Editor for the Santa Clara Law Review and also received a Law Faculty Scholarship based on his academic achievements.

Mr. Cohen is a member of the California State Bar and is admitted to practice in all California State Courts. Mr. Cohen has also been admitted to practice before the California Sixth District Court of Appeals and the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. He is a member of the Santa Clara County Bar Association.

In his spare time, Mr. Cohen enjoys spending time with his family, writing screenplays he thinks are hilarious, and playing baseball in the Silicon Valley Men’s Senior Baseball League.