Vincent H. Cohen, Jr. Takes Office as Acting U.S. Attorney

            WASHINGTON – Vincent H. Cohen, Jr. took office today as Acting United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. He succeeds Ronald C. Machen Jr., who resigned after serving more than five years in office.

            Mr. Cohen, 44, a native Washingtonian, graduated with honors from Syracuse University in 1992 and obtained his juris doctorate from Syracuse University School of Law in 1995.

            Mr. Cohen had been the Office’s Principal Assistant U.S. Attorney since July 2010, when he was named to that position by then- U.S. Attorney Machen. He first joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1997 following his hiring by then-U.S. Attorney Eric Holder. Mr. Cohen handled criminal and civil matters until 2003, when he left the office for private practice.

            In private practice, Mr. Cohen first worked at Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells), specializing in white-collar criminal litigation and employment law. While at Hogan & Hartson, he worked pro bono in 2005 for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which investigated war crimes. He was joined in this work by Loretta E. Lynch, who was then a partner at the firm and who is now President Obama’s nominee to succeed Eric Holder as Attorney General of the United States.

            Mr. Cohen later became a partner at Schertler & Onorato, where his practice included the representation of individuals and corporations in all aspects of criminal and civil litigation. While in private practice, Mr. Cohen was named one of the “Nation’s Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers Under 40” by the National Bar Association. He has served as General Counsel and active member of 100 Black Men of Greater Washington, Inc., an organization focused on improving the quality of life of African-Americans in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area through programs focusing on health and wellness, economic empowerment, education, and mentoring.