Attorneys

• Charles C. Cohen
• Robert S. Grigsby (1926-2004)

PITTSBURGH, PA - Cohen & Grigsby is pleased to announce the institution of a memorial fund, “The Robert S. Grigsby Fund in support of Excellence in Advocacy at the School of Law,” in memory of the late Robert S. Grigsby.  The beneficiary of the fund is the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and the fund will be used to promote trial advocacy.  

Robert S. Grigsby was many things to many people in his life – husband, father, friend, confidant, mentor, advocate, defender, judge, peer, and colleague - and always a gentleman.  Known for his compelling and relentless nature, Bob Grigsby mentored many younger attorneys and served as a staunch advocate, particularly in defending medical malpractice and products liability lawsuits.  As a young lawyer in Pittsburgh, he practiced law with now United States Senator Orrin Hatch, and they maintained a close association through the years.  Not only did Mr. Grigsby have a love of the law, but he also had a love for living life to the fullest.  As busy as his career kept him, he made time to balance it with personal pursuits.  He was a great outdoorsman who liked to hunt and fish, and he was also an avid golfer.  A former member of Cohen & Grigsby’s Executive Committee, he passed away on August 26, 2004 after a lengthy illness.  He was 78.  

“Bob Grigsby was a consummate professional – with a highly developed sense of ethics and probity and intense dedication and loyalty to our clients’ interests,” stated Charles C. Cohen, the firm chairman.  “Everyone at Cohen & Grigsby appreciated these qualities in Bob, and perhaps even more, the generosity with which he shared his wisdom and experience.  He gave a lot of strength, mature judgment and stature to our firm, much needed in our early years, and I will always be grateful for that.”

“For many years, Bob Grigsby was a highly regarded adjunct professor who taught numerous Pitt Law students the art of trial advocacy.  He is greatly missed at the School,” stated Mary A. Crossley, Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.  “The memorial fund in his name will enhance Advocacy programming at the School of Law and it is a fitting tribute to a great lawyer and teacher.”

Mr. Grigsby had more than 40 years of experience as a trial lawyer engaged in civil litigation and was a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers.  His career path spanned from attorney to judge to law professor.  He had been listed in The Best Lawyers in America for 20 consecutive years and was recently named as a “Pennsylvania Super Lawyer” by Philadelphia Magazine.  Mr. Grigsby was a prolific speaker on the topics of evidence, trial tactics, products liability, medical malpractice and in programs sponsored by the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.  He was extensively quoted in professional journals, newspapers and magazine articles, both nationally and regionally.  A Judge in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County from 1978-79, he was also an adjunct professor, teaching trial tactics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.  Mr. Grigsby served in several charitable and professional capacities, including on the Board of Directors of ACHIEVA, the Board of Trustees of Waynesburg College, the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the Continuing Legal Education Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, the International Association of Defense Counsel, the Maritime Law Association, and the Product Liability Advisory Council.  He earned his B.S. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1950 and his L.L.B. from Duquesne University School of Law in 1955.

A small ceremony dedicating a portrait of Mr. Grigsby and commemorating the institution of the Robert S. Grigsby Memorial Fund will be held on November 15, 2005 at 11:00 a.m. at the Pittsburgh offices of Cohen & Grigsby.  University of Pittsburgh Dean Mary Crossley will be in attendance as well as Jean Grigsby, widow of Mr. Grigsby.