Chicago attorney Gary Gassman, Co-Vice Chair of Cozen O’Connor’s Global Insurance Department, has been installed as Chair of the American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) - one of the ABA’s largest and most active sections. In addition, Washington D.C. attorney Josephine Bahn, an associate in Cozen O’Connor’s Commercial Litigation and Construction Law Practices, has been installed as national Chair of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.
Both their one-year terms were announced today at the ABA’s annual meeting in Chicago and are effective immediately.
Gary Gassman
Gassman, who also serves as Co-Chair of Cozen O’Connor’s Professional Liability Coverage Practice, has focused his practice in the areas of insurance coverage counseling and litigation for more than 25 years. He has handled cases involving directors’ and officers’ liability, employment practices liability, fiduciary liability, other types of professional liability and general liability. Gassman is also national coverage counsel for several domestic and international insurance clients. In addition, he is a member of and has led the Cozen O’Connor LGBTQ+ attorney resource group.
A long-time member of TIPS, Gassman most recently served as Chair-Elect (2020 - 2021) of TIPS and before that as Vice-Chair (2019 - 2020). He has also served as TIPS Diversity Officer, as Co-Chair of the TIPS special standing committee on diversity and inclusion, on the TIPS Council (the Section’s governing body) and was chair of several general committees.
Gassman has been twice recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as a “Notable Gen X Leaders in Law” (in 2019 and 2021) for his success and accomplishments in leadership roles within the firm and across the legal community and is regularly selected by his peers as one of the Best Lawyers in America in Insurance Law and Litigation – Insurance. Gassman and his practice have been the subject of feature articles in Chicago Lawyer magazine, The Claims & Litigation Management Alliance (CLM) Magazine, and the LGBTQ+ Bar Magazine.
Gassman received a B.A. from Indiana University in 1990 and a J.D. from The John Marshall Law School (now the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law) in 1993.
Josephine Bahn
Bahn focuses her practice on commercial litigation and construction law. She counsels real estate developers, project owners, contractors, and design professionals in all phases of the construction process. Her practice includes public and private projects as well as bid protests throughout the United States. She also regularly handles claims related to mechanics’ liens on projects. Bahn has wide-ranging experience litigating construction defect claims including stucco and other water intrusion claims. She has litigated in a wide range of forums, including state, federal, and administrative forums as well as various boards of contract appeals.
A longtime member of the ABA’s Young Lawyer Division, she most recently served as Chair-Elect and before that as Secretary. Bahn was also recognized by the organization as an On the Rise awardee in 2020. The award honors the top 40 young lawyers in the country.
Before joining Cozen O’Connor, Bahn was a senior attorney in the enforcement section of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). There, she focused on banking laws and regulations where she managed, investigated, and developed legal strategy for 10c enforcement litigation matters and investigations involving deceptive and unfair practices to consumers, fraud, and other risk-related harm to FDIC insured institutions or consumers. Through the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI), Bahn also provided advice to the FDIC chairman on diversity and inclusion concerns.
Bahn has been recognized by the Daily Record with several accolades, including Maryland Top 100 Women (2022), The VIP List (2021), the Leading Women Award (2019) and the Leadership in Law Generation JD Award (2018). She was also honored by the Washington Council of Lawyers as its 2020 Government Pro Bono awardee.
Bahn earned her bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s University (B.A., 2013) and her law degree from New York Law School (J.D., 2016).
About the ABA TIPS Section
The ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section is squarely located at the intersection of the broad array of tort matters, insurance law, and trial practice in the ABA. With over 17,000 lawyers, judges, law students and non-lawyers, TIPS is the largest national organization of its kind in America and includes all of the constituent groups. For more than 85 years, TIPS and its members have been contributing to the vitality of the American civil justice and jury trial system.
About the ABA Young Lawyers Division
The Young Lawyers Division is the national home for new attorneys, providing members tools to navigate the early years of a career, opportunities to build a national network of peers and mentors, and vital resources to help members grow personally and professionally. The Division serves more than 100,000 young lawyer members.
About Cozen O’Connor
Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has more than 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.