Cohen & Malad, LLP
Irwin B. Levin

Irwin B. Levin

ilevin@cohenandmalad.com
(317) 636-6481
(317) 636-2495, voice mail

Practice Groups:

Irwin is the managing partner of Cohen and Malad. He has practiced with the firm since 1978. While his practice is concentrated in the areas of commercial litigation and class actions, Irwin was one of the lead counsel in the Indianapolis Ramada Inn/United States Air Force crash and the Greenwood air crash disaster, among other prominent cases. He has been counsel in class actions involving securities fraud, insurance and consumer protection throughout the United States, and has actively litigated in the drug litigation arena.

Recently, Irwin has acted as Co-Lead Counsel in antitrust litigation against the concrete industry in central Indiana, resulting in a certified class and $53 million in settlements. He was also selected by the Indiana Department of Insurance to represent it in claims against those responsible for the demise of the Indiana Construction Industry Trust. Through settlements and trial, the litigation collected over $24 million, exceeding the $18 million of claims. The case included an $17.99 million jury verdict, affirmed on appeal, in a legal malpractice action against the Trust's lawyers and a $16.5 million settlement of the bad faith claim against the lawyers' insurance carrier.

In 1996, Irwin became active in the first class action case to be filed in the United States against Swiss Banks on behalf of Holocaust survivors. He and other lawyers from Cohen and Malad took a hands-on role into both the factual investigation of archived materials stored in the U.S. National Archives and the legal work before the Court. In 1997, the Swiss Bank litigation was consolidated before a U.S. District Court judge, who appointed an executive committee composed of 10 lawyers from around the nation to manage the litigation. Irwin was one of the ten chosen. On this committee, he continued to play a significant role in the litigation, researching many of the unusual legal issues presented by this unique litigation and preparing briefs submitted to the Court. Irwin also played a significant role in the lengthy negotiations that culminated in the $1.25 billion settlement presented to the Court. Through his expertise in class action litigation, and the settlement of such complex cases, he also has been able to provide valuable insights into the unprecedented task of notifying Holocaust survivors around the world of this historic settlement.

Irwin also participated in numerous other Holocaust-related cases against German banks and corporations that stole the assets and labor of Holocaust victims. Cases against German banks seek to recover the assets of Holocaust victims that were confiscated under the Nazis; cases pending against leading German industrial enterprises - many of which are household names today - seek to recover the value of the slave labor that those companies extracted from the bodies of concentration camp inmates.

In addition to these cases, Mr. Levin also prosecuted a class action lawsuit filed against Bayer AG brought by an Indiana resident who was subjected to medical experiments at the hands of the infamous Joseph Mengele involving chemicals supplied by Bayer and other German pharmaceutical companies.

Irwin's practice includes the following areas of law:

  • Class Action
  • Commercial Litigation

Educational Background

  • JD, Indiana University School of Law, Indianapolis, 1978
  • BA, Political Science, Indiana University, Indianapolis, 1974
    • Honors: Cum laude

Bar Admissions

  • Indiana, 1978
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana, 1978
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit, 1978

Professional Associations & Memberships

  • Board of Directors of the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, Member
  • Indiana State Bar Association
  • Indianapolis Bar Association
  • Israel Bonds, 1996 - 1998, Indianapolis Chairman
  • Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis, 1996 - 2000, Board Member, 2006 - present, Vice President
  • American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Indiana Chair, AIPAC National Council

Lectures & Seminars Taught

  • Multiple seminars and presentations on:
    • Complex Litigation
    • Class Action Litigation
    • Commercial Litigation

Honors & Awards

  • Indiana Super Lawyer, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009 (Voted one of Top 10 lawyers in Indiana)
  • Hoosier Freedom Award, Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, 1998

Representative Cases

  • Dennerline v Atterholt, 886 N.E.2d 582 (Ind. App. 2008)
  • Allgood v. Meridian Sec. Ins. Co., 812 N.E.2d 1065 (Ind. App. 2004)
  • Time-Warner Entertainment Co., L.P. v. Whiteman (Ind. 2004)
  • Shelton v. Wick, 715 N.E.2d 890 (Ind. App. 1999)
  • Burger-Fischer v. DeGussa Ag., 65 F.Supp. 2d 248 (D.N.J. 1999)
  • Stansky v. Cummins Engine Co., Inc. (Fed. Sec. L.Rep., P.98, 668), 51 F.3d 1329, 63 USLW 2656 (C.A.7 1995)
  • American Cyanamid v. Stephen, 623 N.E.2d 1065 (Ind. App. 1993)
  • Gregory v. Home Insurance Co., 876 F.2d 602, Rico Bus. Disp. Guide 7231 (C.A.7 1989)

Past Employment

  • Marion County Circuit Court, Judge Pro Tempore, 1979
  • Marion County Circuit Court, Master Commissioner, 1978

Irwin B. Levin was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1953. He grew up on the North side of the city and graduated from Yeshiva High School in Skokie, Illinois in 1971.

Irwin graduated from Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis and also did his undergraduate work at IUPUI in political science and philosophy.

Irwin's hobbies include travel, skiing and boating.

A former chairperson of Israel Bonds in Indianapolis, Irwin has served on the boards of numerous Jewish and civic organizations, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis, Congregation Shaarey Tefilla, and the Children's Wish Fund.