Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP is a Delaware limited liability partnership. WilmerHale principal law offices: 60 State Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02109, +1 617
526 6000; 1875 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20006, +1 202 663 6000. Our United Kingdom offices are operated under a separate Delaware limited liability
partnership of solicitors and registered foreign lawyers authorized and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA No. 287488). Our professional rules can be found
at www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/code-of-conduct.page. A list of partners and their professional qualifications is available for inspection at our UK offices. In Beijing, we are
registered to operate as a Foreign Law Firm Representative Office. This material is for general informational purposes only and does not represent our advice as to any
particular set of facts; nor does it represent any undertaking to keep recipients advised of all legal developments. © 2014 Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
People
Practices
Litigation/Controversy
Appellate and Supreme
Court Litigation
Business Trial Group
Government and
Regulatory Litigation
Education
LLB, magna cum laude, Harvard
Law School, 1966
University of Oxford, Wadham
College, Henry Fellow
AB, magna cum laude, Harvard
University, 1962
Bar Admissions
District of Columbia
United States Supreme Court
Louis R. Cohen
Senior Counsel
louis.cohen@wilmerhale.com
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1875 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20006 Map
+1 202 663 6700 (t)
+1 202 663 6363 (f)
Louis Cohen is a senior counsel in the firm’s Litigation/Controversy Department, and a
member of the Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation Practice Group. He joined the
firm in 1967. Mr. Cohen served as Deputy Solicitor General of the United States from
1986-1988, and focuses on US Supreme Court and other appellate litigation and
corporations law. Mr. Cohen’s appellate practice has included more than fifty cases on
the merits in the US Supreme Court and a large number of cases in the courts of
appeals. He has argued sixteen cases in the Supreme Court, winning fifteen.
Practice
Mr. Cohen’s victories before the Supreme Court include such significant cases as the
City of New York v. Clinton (the Line Item Veto case), US Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton
(invalidating congressional term limits), and Cargill v. Monfort (predatory pricing under
the Clayton Act). Other Supreme Court cases in which he has participated include:
Regional Rail Reorganization Act Cases (constitutionality of a reorganization statute);
Piper v. Chris-Craft (interpretation of the Williams Act); Basic v. Levinson (materiality
issues under the federal securities laws); Carpenter v. United States (Rule 10b-5; wire
fraud); and Norwest Bank v. Ahlers (priorities under the Bankruptcy Code).
Mr. Cohen’s court of appeals cases include arguments on behalf of Bear Stearns in
deKwiatkowski v. Bear Stearns (2d Cir. 2002); Sears Roebuck in Bolin v. Sears
Roebuck & Co., 231 F.3d 970 (5th Cir. 2000); Painewebber Group in Painewebber v.
Zinsmeyer Partnership Trust, 187 F.3d 988 (8th. Cir. 1999); First Commonwealth
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP is a Delaware limited liability partnership. WilmerHale principal law offices: 60 State Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02109, +1 617
526 6000; 1875 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20006, +1 202 663 6000. Our United Kingdom offices are operated under a separate Delaware limited liability
partnership of solicitors and registered foreign lawyers authorized and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA No. 287488). Our professional rules can be found
at www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/code-of-conduct.page. A list of partners and their professional qualifications is available for inspection at our UK offices. In Beijing, we are
registered to operate as a Foreign Law Firm Representative Office. This material is for general informational purposes only and does not represent our advice as to any
particular set of facts; nor does it represent any undertaking to keep recipients advised of all legal developments. © 2014 Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
Savings Bank in United States v. John C. York, et al., 112 F.3d 1218 (D.C. Cir. 1997);
General Electric in United States ex rel Taxpayers Against Fraud v. General Electric
Company (6th Cir. 1994), and the CBS and NBC television networks in Schurz
Communications v. FCC, 982 F.2d 1043 (7th Cir. 1992).
On the corporate side, Mr. Cohen has advised clients (including both for-profit and
nonprofit firms) in connection with offerings of securities, mergers and acquisitions,
purchases and sales of businesses, proxy fights, tender offers, corporate restructurings
and liquidations.
Honors & Awards
Recent Highlights
Mr. Cohen’s Supreme Court victories include Enron Power Marketing, Inc. v. FERC
(2002) (non-discriminate access to the electric grid), and The Wharf (Holdings) Ltd. v.
United International Holdings, Inc. (2001) (Breach of SEC Rule 10b-5).
Professional Activities
Mr. Cohen is a past winner of the Public Policy Award of the National Trust for Historic
Preservation and of the Pro Bono Advocacy Award of the ACLU Foundation of
Southern California. He is a member of the American Law Institute and the American
Academy of Appellate Lawyers. He has served as National Chair of The Harvard Law
School Fund. He has taught Corporate Finance courses at Harvard University and
Stanford University, and Securities Regulation courses at George Washington
University.
Selected by peers for inclusion in the 2005-2006, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011,
2012, 2013 and 2014 editions of The Best Lawyers in America, in the areas of
appellate law, commercial litigation (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013,
2014), M&A (all editions), business litigation, corporate and securities law
(2005-2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
Selected for inclusion in the 2012 and 2013 Washington DC Super Lawyer lists
Featured in an American Lawyer article identifying leading litigation departments
(2002)
“Highly recommended” in PLC’s 2003/04 Dispute Resolution Global Counsel
Handbook – Public Policy Award
National Trust for Historic Preservation – Public Policy Award
Pro Bono Advocacy Award, ACLU Foundation of Southern California