American Lawyer Magazine named Cozen O’Connor to its Am Law 100 list of the country’s 100 top grossing law firms. According to the list, the firm saw the year’s biggest jump in 2009 gross revenue at $290,500,000 - a 22.6 percent increase over the previous year.

“We are pleased to be back among the Am Law 100,” said Tad Decker, president and CEO of Cozen O’Connor. “2009 was an extraordinary year for us in a number of ways. Our revenue grew substantially over the last year, we added some top-notch lawyers, and by building our presence significantly in New York and Washington, D.C., we made great progress on our strategic plan. Part of the additional revenue was a one-time commercial contingent fee, but even without that fee, our core businesses were still up close to 10 percent from 2008. We are forecasting additional growth in those core businesses for 2010,” Decker added.

While most of the new attorneys joined from WolfBlock, the firm also aggressively recruited additional lateral hires, particularly in New York City and Washington, D.C. The firm plans to continue lateral recruitment efforts in the coming year as a long-term investment in talent that will produce returns as the economy recovers. Already in 2010, the firm announced the addition of a number of high-profile attorneys - including former TARP COO Howard Schweitzer and antitrust litigators Melissa Maxman and Frank Newell.

“Despite this year’s adverse business climate, I credit our success to the balance and diversity of our practice groups and the hiring of some outstanding laterals,” said Decker.