Beverly Hills, CA – August 24, 2022 – The Beverly Hills Bar Association (BHBA), heralded for championing access to justice, an independent judiciary, and the rule of law, will honor two legal stalwarts at its 10th Annual “BHBA Litigation Awards Dinner” – leading litigator Mathew S. Rosengart, shareholder at Greenberg Traurig LLP and Hon. David J. Cowan, Supervising Judge of the Civil Division of the Los Angeles Superior Court. The dinner is on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, at 6:00 pm outdoors on the terrace at The Maybourne in Beverly Hills.

Mathew S. Rosengart, a former federal prosecutor and preeminent litigator with clients throughout entertainment and other industries, receives the “Excellence in Advocacy Award,” which honors a litigator whose case successes have resulted from expert legal skills, unique trial strategy and courtroom teamwork, and who also gives back to the community. Judge David J. Cowan, noted for his outstanding public service and dedication to advancing the legal profession, receives the “Ronald M. George Award for Judicial Excellence,” named for the former California Supreme Court Chief Justice who retired in 2011 and was its first recipient.

“The Beverly Hills Bar Association is pleased to recognize Mathew S. Rosengart and Judge David J. Cowan for their far-reaching impact in our legal profession,” says BHBA President Anthony D. Ross. “They are dedicated advocates of fairness and equal access to justice.”

Mathew S. Rosengart is a litigation shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, LLP whose accolades include being recognized as a California Lawyer Attorney of the Year; one of the Top 100 lawyers in the State by the Daily Journal; a Sports & Entertainment Trailblazer by The National Law Journal; Litigator of the Week by The American Lawyer; “Hollywood’s King of Litigators” by Variety; Above the Law’s Lawyer of the Year; and a Top 100 Lawyer and Leader of Influence by the LA Business Journal, which honors “masters of their craft” and recognized him as a “go to litigator for Hollywood’s elite and Corporate America.”

Mathew’s longtime client Sean Penn recently told the New York Times that Mathew was a “tough as nails streetfighter with a big brain and bigger principles,” Federal Judge Bob Conrad stated he is “one of the sharpest lawyers I’ve ever met at the Department of Justice,” whose “judgment is impeccable,” and former Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter praised Mathew’s “intelligence,” “instinct,” and “personal integrity.” Described by the New York Times as a “prominent” and “high-powered lawyer,” Mathew has also been lauded as a “legal powerhouse,” a “powerful litigator,” a “legal warrior” who is “principled,” and a “heavyweight lawyer” by Yahoo News, Newsweek, The View, Good Morning America, and The Guardian. He has also been recognized by NPR as a lawyer with “a lot of star power,” by Los Angeles Magazine as a “heavy hitter” with “a long history of getting results for his big name clients,” and by the Wall Street Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, and NBC as a “high profile litigator,” a “Hollywood Power Lawyer,” and a “celebrity power attorney.”  For his body of work, Mathew is scheduled this fall to receive Trinity College of Dublin’s Praeses Elit Award, the highest honor bestowed by its Law Society, whose past recipients include Bob Geldof and FW de Clerk.

Judge David J. Cowan is Supervising Judge of the Civil Division of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, comprised of some 150 bench officers. In that capacity, he oversees operations of the PI Hub, I/C courtrooms, UD courts, Small Claims, Limited, Writs & Receivers, as well as the Complex Program. In addition, he runs the master calendar in Department 1 for assignment of trials to the trial courtrooms around the County. Judge Cowan is also active in working with numerous local bar associations on issues of importance to the bench and bar and in ensuring the court is responsive to lawyers’ needs and concerns.  In particular, he has instituted Bench Bar Working Groups on mitigating the effects of the pandemic on civil jury trials and in management of employment cases. He is also active in implementing various settlement programs. He has been instrumental in the expansion of courtrooms at the Beverly Hills Courthouse—which the BHBA helped found in the 1950s—turning it into an active civil hub serving the Westside community and local lawyers. Previously, Judge Cowan was Supervising Judge of the Probate and Mental Health Department and in 2020, the Trusts & Estates section of the BHBA gave him their Timothy Whitehouse Award.

The Honorary Dinner Committee includes Casey Affleck, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall, Lena Dunham, Soleil Moon Frye, Greenberg Traurig LLP, Kenneth Lonergan, Los Angeles Media Fund, Michael Mann, Sean Penn, Bruce Ramer, Winona Ryder, and Split Second Management.

Previous BHBA Litigation Awards Dinner honorees include Former Chief Justice of California Ronald M. George, Hon. Norman Epstein, Hon. Christina A. Snyder, Hon. Michael Nash, Hon. Arthur Gilbert, Roman Silberfeld, Marshall B. Grossman, Browne Greene, Thomas J. Nolan, Morgan Chu, and Kelli Sager.

BHBA, founded in 1931, is a modern bar association serving lawyers who live or work in the greater Los Angeles region, as well as throughout southern California and the world. BHBA is known for supporting and advocating for legislation and legal decisions supporting equal rights and the independence of the judiciary, while offering continuing legal education, networking events, marketing services, publications, a legal staff referral service, leadership and professional growth opportunities, pro bono programs, and legislative advocacy activities. BHBA includes two dozen volunteer-led sections and committees that provide leadership opportunities and produce CLE content that is nationally recognized, including the world’s largest entertainment law section. BHBA shares its events and content regularly with its nearly 30,000 email subscribers and has industry-leading presences on social media, including the largest following on YouTube of any bar association in the country. BHBA has varying membership and benefit levels, and dues are free to students and lawyers in their first three years of practice.

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