Veteran maritime attorney Jeffrey Hardin Lewis has joined the transportation and trade group at Cozen O'Connor, Philadelphia, as a member in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. He brings nearly two decades of senior-level legal and policy experience in the federal government, most recently serving as chief counsel for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (Marad).
At Marad, Lewis advised the maritime administrator and led a team of 34 attorneys, handling matters across maritime law, environmental regulations, ethics, civil rights, and information disclosure. He previously served as senior attorney-advisor to the U.S. Coast Guard, where he counseled on maritime cybersecurity, vessel safety, offshore activities, and federal preemption. Earlier, as counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Lewis played a key role in crafting maritime legislation and advancing executive nominations.
"With the new administration signaling a strong interest in further expanding the country's maritime industry, adding a highly regarded maritime lawyer like Jeff — one with 20-plus years of federal government experience — is a real coup for our practice," said Robert K. Magovern, co-chair of the firm's transportation and trade group. "As someone who has played a fundamental role in shaping and enforcing maritime law in the U.S., Jeff will be a tremendous legal asset for our domestic and foreign clients."
Before his public service, Lewis was an associate at a D.C. law firm representing corporations and trade associations before Congress. He is a member of the Maritime Law Association of the United States and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches admiralty and maritime law.
"Having been a part of the maritime industry from a federal law- and policy-making perspective for many years, moving to the top transportation and trade practice in the country is a natural next step for me," said Lewis.
Lewis earned his J.D. at Catholic University of America, with a certificate from the Comparative and International Law Institute, and a B.A. in political science at Louisiana State University.
