Press Release

Burns & Levinson partner Jerry Cohen is the recipient of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation’s (MBF) 2015 Great Friend of Justice Award, presented annually to an individual who has demonstrated extraordinary passion for justice, consistent with the Foundation’s values and mission of increasing access to justice.

“Jerry’s passionate commitment to pro bono work exemplifies the spirit and values at the heart of the Massachusetts Bar Foundation,” said MBF President Robert J. Ambrogi. “In addition to his intellectual property law practice, he volunteers his time to countless organizations, task forces, and committees focused on increasing access to justice for those most in need.”

A former MBF president, Cohen serves as an adjunct law professor at Suffolk University Law School and the Roger Williams School of Law, mediates with JAMS, and volunteers with the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Law Review.

Most notably, Cohen has provided pro bono representation to four Guantanamo detainees, all of whom have been released over the last 10 years.

Cohen will receive this award at the Foundation’s Annual Meeting on March 3, 2015 at the Social Law Library in the John Adams Courthouse in Boston.