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H. Adam Cohen
H. Adam Cohen is a shareholder of SPC. His practice areas include eminent domain, condemnation, real property tax appeals, commercial litigation, and
land use. Possessing more than 16 years' experience in these areas
of the law, Mr. Cohen has obtained jury verdicts and negotiated
settlements for tens of millions of dollars in condemnation cases
throughout the State of Michigan. He is the Vice Chairman of the State Bar of Michigan's Real Property Section-- Eminent Domain Committee.
For his expertise in the specialties of eminent domain and condemnation, Mr. Cohen is listed in the 2007 and 2008 editions of "The Best Lawyers in America." He was also selected by his peers as one of Michigan's "Super Lawyers" for inclusion in Law & Politics magazine for the field of eminent domain. Fewer than 5% of Michigan's attorneys attain "Super Lawyers" status.
In 2004, Adam Cohen and his partner, Jerome Pesick, obtained the
largest condemnation verdict in Michigan history: $25 million for a
6.3 acre, vacant parcel on Detroit's riverfront. Additionally,
according to a survey conducted by Washington D.C.'s Institute for
Justice, Mr. Cohen handled the only condemnation appeal in the
country in 2003 where a landowner successfully challenged the
constitutionality of a government's attempted taking in both a
trial and appellate court.
Mr. Cohen was selected at the age of 33 for inclusion in year 2000 Crain's Detroit Business
magazine's prestigious "40 Under 40" feature for trying five
condemnation cases for property owners during a seven-month period,
achieving verdicts in several cases for more than four times the
government's offers.
Mr. Cohen's memberships include: the American Bar
Association, where he is an active Member of the Sections on Real
Property and Litigation and the Committee on Condemnation, Zoning,
and Land Use; the State Bar of Michigan, where he formerly served as
Council Member of the Section on Litigation and continues to serve as
a Member of the Section on Real Property and its Committee on Eminent
Domain; the Oakland County Bar Association, where he is a sustaining
Member and a Member of the Case Evaluation Committee; and the
International Right of Way Association.
Adam Cohen has authored numerous articles in legal and real
estate periodicals and trade journals, including "The General Efffects of the Michigan Supreme Court's 'General Effects' Decision in Department of Transportation vs Tomkins "Governmental
Damages," "Navigating the Uncharted Seas of Partial Acquisitions From
an Owner's Viewpoint," "Recent Cases Clarify Eminent Domain
Litigation Questions," "Municipalities Pushing Envelope on
Condemnation?," and "The Admissibility of Offers and Purchase
Agreements as Evidence of Value in Condemnation Trials," among
others. He frequently lectures at state and national eminent domain
conferences.
Mr. Cohen has attended condemnation seminars and appraisal
courses across the country. He has served as counsel of record in
condemnation projects including Comerica Park and Ford Field
(Detroit's baseball and football stadia), Detroit Waterfront
Reclamation and Casino Redevelopment Project (Casinos), I-696, M-59
(Hall Road), M-5 (Haggerty Connector) M-24 (Lapeer Road), Detroit Metropolitan Airport
Expansion, Jefferson-Chalmers Rehabilitation Project, Flint Bishop
International Airport Expansion, Novi Ring Road, Canton Center Road,
Wayne State University Welcome Center, Wayne County Pinnacle
Aeropark, UPTRAN Terminal, Ypsilanti's Water Street Redevelopment,
dozens of road widening projects, and many others.
H. Adam Cohen is a graduate of George Washington University
Law School, J.D., 1992, and Tulane University, B.A., cum laude, 1989.
Read the excerpt from Crain's Detroit Business magazine's "40 Under 40" feature below:
40 Under 40: H. Adam Cohen
by Robert Ankeny
Crain's Detroit Business; October 2, 2000
H. Adam Cohen, 33
Lawyer and Partner
Steinhardt, Pesick & Cohen P.C.
Southfield
Biggest Achievement: Trying five condemnation cases for property owners in the stadium district during a seven-week period last winter, winning verdicts in three cases for more than four times what the stadium authority had offered, totaling between $3 million and $4 million.
Current Goal: To build and maintain his law firm as the premier condemnation and commercial litigation firm in Detroit.
Adam Cohen received a law degree from George Washington University in 1992 and made rapid advances after joining Mason, Steinhardt, Jacobs & Perlman P.C., a medium-sized law firm with a complex practice.
"My partners showed great confidence in allowing me to try cases at an early stage of my career," said Cohen, who got his first six-figure jury verdict before he was 30. "The guys were willing to roll the dice and let me try that case," he recalled.
"I didn't know what I wanted to do when I started," Cohen said, "so I took on all kinds of matters — corporate real estate, transaction deals, employment litigation and condemnation.
"After a few years, I gravitated to condemnation, because I enjoyed working with (Fred) Steinhardt and (Jerry) Pesick, the lawyers who did that work, and it seemed like a natural fit."
Cohen said that his "expedited growth chart" was sharply influenced by the fact that "Fred got sick. So I view this thing with very mixed feelings," he said. Steinhardt was diagnosed last fall with an inoperable cancer, for which he is receiving treatment.
"I hope I never have to go to war," Steinhardt said, "but if I did, I'd want to be with Adam."
Cohen's other courtroom victories include an Oakland County Circuit Court verdict for private property owners in Novi, blocking public taking of land for a ring road. That case is now on appeal. Cohen also represented business owners near Wayne State University in halting a taking of property to build a welcome center.
Cohen believes the law firm could expand if it makes good business sense. "We'll add more attorneys, not for the sake of adding bodies, but only if we need to add lawyers to continue to provide excellent service to clients," Cohen said. — Robert Ankeny
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