Stephan Cohn's Email & Phone

A principal at Berger Kahn, Stephan S. Cohn's practice is concentrated in the areas of business, insurance and community association law. He routinely litigates business torts, real estate issues, environmental-toxic torts and insurance matters. In addition, he regularly counsels directors and officers and homeowners associations in the enforcement of governing documents and other day-to-day operational matters. Steve has represented directors and officers of corporations, homeowners associations and insurers in a wide range of issues. In the insurance context, Steve has been involved in claims arising from directors' and officers', homeowners' and commercial insurance policies. Further, he has advised insurers regarding the handling of suspect claims, including fraud. He also routinely handles toxic tort cases involving environmental pollution and underground storage tanks. Steve has significant experience litigating third-party and general liability claims and first-party bad faith matters, and has defended hundreds of depositions, including high-level insurance executives and bad faith experts. Some of the matters Steve has handled recently are: ? Counseling directors and officers of corporations regarding compliance issues; ? Defending liability and injury claims involving toxic torts; ? Handling suspected fraudulent claims for both automobile and property cases; uninsured motorist cases; earth movement and earthquake coverage issues; agent and broker misrepresentation issues; business interruption cases; arson and general coverage questions; ? Litigating boundary line disputes for homeowners and homeowner associations; ? Amending corporate documents; ? Contractual disputes; ? Managing all aspects of case preparation for trial, including arbitration; and ? Construction defects cases. Steve is a frequent lecturer to business and insurance groups on topics such as directors' and officers' liability, good faith claims handling and toxic torts, and is a course instructor on Evidence for the University of California at Irvine Extension Program. Steve received his B.A. in 1981 from the University of California, Berkeley and his J.D. in 1985 from the University of San Diego. He is admitted to practice before the courts of the State of California, all four U.S. District Courts of California, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Steve is a member of the Orange County Insurance Defense Association, the Orange County Bar Association, and the Orange County Regional Chapter of the Community Associations Institute. He lives with his wife and two children in Laguna Beach.