Partner

213-232-5163
rcohen@cohen-williams.com

Reuven L. Cohen brings twenty years of trial experience to the firm. Over the past decade, Reuven has successfully tried some of the most high-profile cases in the Central District of California. He has earned a reputation for integrity and excellence based upon his singular creativity, meticulous attention to detail, and fierce dedication to his clients and his craft.

Prior to co-founding Cohen Williams Williams LLP (formerly Dordi Williams Cohen LLP), Reuven practiced as a civil litigator in the New York office of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and the prestigious trial unit of the Office of the Federal Public Defender in Los Angeles. Having litigated hundreds of complex cases nationwide, he has developed a specialty in high stakes federal commercial and criminal litigation as well as select state and local matters. Reuven tries cases – and gets real-life results for his clients. Rare is the white-collar attorney who has tried cases to verdict; rarer still is the white-collar attorney with Reuven’s track record of actually beating the government. 

On the criminal side, Reuven has represented individuals and entities at all stages of federal and state proceedings at both the trial and appellate levels. He has defended individuals and businesses in a wide array of white collar criminal matters, including securities and investment fraud, cyber-crimes, healthcare fraud, tax fraud, perjury, immigration and customs fraud, money laundering, counterfeiting, false statements, and identity theft. He has also successfully represented persons charged with other high-liability crimes, ranging from capital offenses to complex environmental crimes involving the Clean Water Act and other environmental statutes.

Reuven also has significant civil litigation experience, having handled SEC and FTC enforcement actions and investigations, tried civil cases, and litigated several bet-the-business disputes. He has represented clients in all manner of civil and administrative proceedings, including numerous complex commercial, environmental, intellectual property, and appellate matters.

Reuven has been honored as a Southern California Super Lawyer by Thomson-Reuters every year upon his return to private practice from government service.  This year, Super Lawyers named Reuven as one of the Top 100 Southern California Lawyers. Reuven shares that honor with six other white-collar crime practitioners.

Education
University of Southern California, J.D., 1998
Brown University, B.A., 1992

Clerkships
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
     Law Clerk, Hon. Kim McLane Wardlaw

Partner

213-232-5162
mwilliams@cohen-williams.com

Marc S. Williams is a civil litigator with extensive experience in state and federal courts. Marc also handles complex white collar criminal cases. Marc has represented clients in all stages of litigation, including trial and appeals, investigations, as well as arbitrations and mediations. He also provides practical advice to assist clients in non-litigation matters.

Before co-founding Cohen Williams Williams LLP (formerly Dordi Williams Cohen LLP) in 2014, Marc was a partner at One LLP, an entertainment and intellectual property boutique litigation firm. Previously, he had spent ten years as a litigator at O’Melveny & Myers, LLP in that firm’s Los Angeles and Century City offices.  Marc has been recognized as a Rising Star in Thomson-Reuters list of “Super Lawyers” on four occasions and five times as a Super Lawyer from 2013 to 2017.

Marc has a broad range of complex litigation experience, including in the areas of business litigation, partnership disputes, fiduciary duties, contractual disputes, fraud, securities litigation, unfair competition, business torts, copyright, trademark, idea submission, rights of publicity, defamation, entertainment, real estate, and healthcare. His representations range from smaller clients, such as individuals and start-up companies, to Fortune 500 corporations.

Education
University of Southern California, J.D., 1998
     Southern California Law Review
Tufts University, B.A., 1992

Clerkships
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 
     Law Clerk, Hon. Kim McLane Wardlaw

Partner

213-232-5171
jwilliams@cohen-williams.com

A former federal prosecutor, Jennifer L. Williams brings a unique perspective to Cohen Williams Williams LLP. She is a skilled trial and appellate attorney with experience litigating cases involving healthcare fraud, money laundering, deprivation of civil rights, and customs, tax, and RICO violations. Jennifer now represents individuals and entities in complex state and federal litigation locally and throughout the United States. Jennifer is known for her ability to genuinely connect with people and to quickly identify and understand issues central to a case. With a results-oriented mindset, she is an advocate for her clients at the highest level.

Prior to joining Cohen Williams Williams LLP, Jennifer served as an Assistant United States Attorney for nearly eight years, having been hired through the nationally competitive Department of Justice Honors Program. While at the U.S. Attorney's Office, she tried numerous jury trials, argued several cases before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and directed a wide variety of grand jury and wiretap investigations. Jennifer served as a deputy chief, supervising a team of prosecutors, and as a Department of Justice faculty member for the National Advocacy Center. She trained agents and prosecutors, both nationally and internationally, about substantive and procedural criminal law. Jennifer was the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious Department of Justice Director's Award, presented by the Attorney General in 2015.

Dedicated to her community and the legal profession, Jennifer has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and volunteered with Project LEAD, educating students in Boyle Heights about the criminal justice system.

Education
The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, J.D., 2006
     Summa Cum Laude
     The Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law, editor-in-chief
Otterbein University, B.S., 2000
     Summa Cum Laude

Clerkships
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
     Law Clerk, Hon. R. Guy Cole
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
     Law Clerk, Hon. Algenon L. Marbley

Of Counsel

213-232-5166
kerskine@cohen-williams.com

Kathleen M. Erskine is a civil and criminal litigator with a broad range of experience in state and federal courts. Among other areas, Kathleen specializes in business litigation, labor and employment, and complex white collar criminal matters. Prior to joining Cohen Williams Williams LLP, Kathleen was a founding partner of Love & Erskine, LLP, a law firm handling business litigation, employment, and civil rights matters.

Kathleen is a member of the Executive Committee and Saturday Seminar Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section. She has organized dozens of seminars for labor and employment practitioners, and has moderated and been a featured speaker on employment issues on many occasions for LACBA and other organizations. Kathleen also conducts training on employment issues.

Kathleen was honored as a Rising Star in Thompson-Reuters list of “Super Lawyers” for seven consecutive years, from 2006 through 2012, and has been named a Super Lawyer in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Education
UCLA School of Law, J.D., 2002
     Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy
Trinity College, B.A., 1996
     Honors in General Scholarship (Summa Cum Laude)
     Phi Beta Kappa

Counsel

213-232-5164
gpardo@cohen-williams.com

Gabriel Pardo is an experienced attorney who brings a combination of criminal trial and civil litigation experience to Cohen Williams Williams LLP.  Gabriel represents his clients with creativity, diligence, and dedication.  He has achieved remarkable results for his clients at all stages of a criminal case, including favorable pre-indictment resolutions, dismissals following motions litigation, and multiple jury acquittals.

Prior to joining Cohen Williams Williams LLP, Gabriel served as a trial attorney in the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Central District of California for over three years.  At the Federal Public Defender’s Office, Gabriel successfully handled a wide variety of federal criminal cases, including fraud, narcotic, firearm, counterfeiting, bribery, and tax offenses.

Prior to the Federal Public Defender’s Office, Gabriel was an associate at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, where he worked on a variety of criminal and civil matters.  On the criminal side, Gabriel represented companies and individuals in antitrust prosecutions, internal investigations, and special litigation committee investigations.  On the civil side, Gabriel represented public and private companies as both plaintiff and defendant in fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and antitrust matters.

Education
Stanford University, J.D., 2008
Stanford University, B.A., 2002

Associate

213-232-5165
agoldstein@cohen-williams.com

Anya J. Goldstein is a civil and criminal litigator who learns her clients' objectives and works creatively to accomplish them. She has tried cases to verdict, argued before the California Court of Appeal, briefed and argued successful motions, taken and defended depositions, and conducted witness interviews and fact investigations. Before joining the firm, Anya worked as a litigator at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, where she represented international entertainment, investment, and professional-services firms in high-stakes disputes and investigations. Anya was recognized as a Rising Star on the Thomson-Reuters list of “Super Lawyers” in 2017.

Along with her work at the firm, Anya serves on the founding board of UCLA Law Women LEAD, a women's initiative that partners with UCLA alumnae and students to create intergenerational professional networks for support and inspiration.

Anya graduated third in her class at UCLA School of Law, where she was a senior editor of the UCLA Law Review and a Michael T. Masin Scholar. Anya served as a Fulbright teaching assistant in Germany and as a law clerk to the Honorable Kim McLane Wardlaw of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. 

Education
UCLA School of Law, J.D., 2012
     Senior Editor, UCLA Law Review
     Order of the Coif
     Michael T. Masin Scholar
     Dean's Merit Scholarship
Brown University, B.A., 2006
     Magna Cum Laude
     Phi Beta Kappa

Clerkships
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
     Law Clerk, Hon. Kim McLane Wardlaw