Lawrence Cohen is of counsel in the Phoenix and New York offices of GRSM.
Lawrence has a diverse national business law practice spanning areas such as general business law, securities/commodity futures and capital markets regulatory matters, franchising, and healthcare transactions. His expertise is especially strong in broker-dealer and investment adviser regulation and compliance. Lawrence had served at the partner level with other large, prestigious law firms. He advises both start-up and established companies, private and public, in many business sectors, with a focus on the capital raising process.
Early in his career, Lawrence was Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer of The Guardian Life Insurance Company’s retail mutual funds and annuities/separate accounts and its affiliated broker-dealer distributor and investment manager, and then associate counsel and assistant secretary of Lehman Brother’s institutional funds group. He has served as outside counsel to public and private funds, and formed and registered numerous broker-dealers and investment advisers, including the Blackstone Group, advising them and other preeminent investment banks and private fund managers on regulatory and compliance matters.
With respect to start-ups, Lawrence has counseled entrepreneurs and development-stage companies, and served as a judge at the New Jersey Technology Council competitions and as a mentor to companies participating in the Cleantech Open, the world’s largest clean-tech accelerator. He also has advised both franchisors and franchisees with respect to negotiations involving both franchise agreements and exits.
Lawrence is a prolific writer on many legal topics and speaks at various industry events. He received his J.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Law in 1979 and a B.A., cum laude, in History from Brooklyn College, City University of New York in 1976. While in law school, he served as Captain of the Jessup International Moot Court Team and received a scholarship from the Kosciuszko Foundation to participate in the University of Florida’s International Trade Law Program at Cambridge University, England & The Polish Institute of State and Law, in Warsaw.
Admissions
- Arizona
- New York
- New Jersey
Memberships
- Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), Former Member
- Board of Directors of Children’s Home Society of New Jersey (2003-2007)
- Former FINRA Series 7 and 63 qualifications
Community Involvement
- Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (successful political asylum matter)
- Board member/pro bono legal service provider of The Children’s Home Society of NJ (2003-2007)
- Volunteer Mentor for Start-Up Companies competing in CleanTech Open