A courtroom-tested trial lawyer and appellate advocate, 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.
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. He is also the exclusive Pennsylvania insurance member of IR Global, the multinational professional services network of legal, accountancy and financial advisors.
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 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.
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.
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).
Honors and Distinctions
• Life Member, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
• Fellow, American Bar Foundation
• Judge Pro Tempore, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
• Certified Information Privacy Professional, US, (CIPP/US) and Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)
• OSHA 10 Certification
• Thompson Reuter Pennsylvania Super Lawyer, Insurance Coverage (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: https://www.superlawyers.com/about/selection_process_detail.html.)
• Stein Scholar in Public Interest Law and Ethics, Fordham University
• Theatre Hall of Fame, Georgetown University
Professional Activities
• Pennsylvania Defense Institute (Regional Director, 2020-Present)
• Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel (President, 2018-2019)
• American Bar Association
• Regis Bar Association
