PHILADELPHIA, December 9, 2021 — Cozen O’Connor is pleased to announce that Leslie Gomez, vice chair of the firm’s Institutional Response Group, has been selected to Latino Leaders Magazine 2021 Top Latino Lawyers list. This highly selective list of 50 attorneys is the result of a nomination and vetting process designed to identify the most distinguished, professional, and effective Latino lawyers in the country. Lawyers with Latino/Hispanic heritage were selected based on their positive track record and service to clients, professional activity and recognitions, community involvement, and successful resolution of client matters.
Gomez, a first generation college graduate who identifies as Cuban-American, focuses her practice on the institutional response to sexual and gender-based harassment and violence, child abuse, and other forms of harassment, discrimination, and criminal conduct. Together with Gina Maisto Smith, the chair of the Institutional Response Group, Gomez and Smith have built a first-of-its kind legal practice that helps institutions develop holistic responses that prioritize safety and seek to prevent harassment, discrimination, and violence. Gomez assists educational, child-serving, and other values-based institutions in designing effective institutional responses that integrate complex legal and regulatory frameworks with the unique dynamics of trauma and the impacts of interpersonal violence on individuals and communities. She is nationally recognized for her knowledge and experience related to Title IX, the Clery Act, civil rights, and child protective services laws and the dynamics of sexual and gender-based harassment and violence, child sexual and physical abuse, and abuse in the institutional setting. Along with a dedicated team of attorneys in Cozen O’Connor’s Institutional Response Group, Gomez conducts training and prevention programs related to sexual and gender-based harassment and violence and child abuse; designs and drafts comprehensive policies and systems; conducts sensitive and informed investigations; coordinates internal investigations with parallel law enforcement and child protective services processes; and, facilitates compliance with federal and state regulatory frameworks. Gomez is known for her direct, compassionate, and holistic approach to confronting sexual violence and child abuse. She is a former career child abuse and sexual assault prosecutor with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, where she was a fierce advocate for vulnerable and marginalized children, women, and families in the courtroom and the community. Gomez also serves as a volunteer child advocate through the Support Center for Child Advocates, is on the advisory board of Philadelphia’s Central Division Victim Services, and is the proud mother of two young adults.
About Cozen O’Connor
Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has over 925 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle-market companies, Cozen O’Connor serves its clients’ needs through 33 offices across two continents.