Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi (CSG Law) welcomed David A. Cohen to the firm’s Employment Group, where he advises clients on labor and employment matters in the public and private sectors.
Cohen has more than a decade of experience in the legal issues impacting higher education, including academic medical centers.
He joins the firm after serving as vice president for University Labor Relations and special counsel to the university president at Rutgers University. In this position and his prior role as associate vice president and deputy general counsel, Cohen advised University offices on labor and employment matters, including the development of its labor negotiations strategy and serving as the lead spokesperson for the University in its collective negotiations with its faculty and staff labor unions.
He also oversaw a team handling the administration and interpretation of the University’s labor contracts, including grievance and disciplinary arbitrations and unfair practice charges.
Before Rutgers, Governor Chris Christie appointed Cohen to serve as director of the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations, where he served as the governor’s spokesperson in collective negotiations with all the labor unions, representing employees in the executive branch.
Additionally, he was a partner at a Florham Park firm and an associate and partner at a Newark firm before his time in the public sector.
Cohen was also a member of the Township of Berkeley Heights governing body for nearly 12 years, serving as mayor of the Township for almost a decade. He served for more than 12 years on the Township of Berkeley Heights planning board, as well.
He earned his J.D. from the American University – Washington School of Law and his B.A. in economics, cum laude, from Lehigh University. Upon graduation from law school, David served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable William Wenner on the Maryland Court of Special Appeals.
