Michael Izzo, senior partner at Cozen O'Connor, dies at 68

One of the senior partners with Cozen O’Connor, the Philadelphia law firm that now has

hundreds of attorneys under its employ in more than two dozen office locations, has passed away at 68 years of age.

Michael J. Izzo, Jr., of West Deptford, N.J., died Dec. 9 at Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia from complications related to leukemia.

Izzo, a graduate of Villanova University School of Law, joined Cozen O’Connor in 1973 following service as a judicial clerk to U.S. District Judge E. Mac Troutman of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, according to his obituary.

During his career at Cozen O’Connor, Izzo, who was one of the firm’s original members, worked in the subrogation litigation division where he argued some of the firm’s largest jury verdicts.

“Mike was comfortable in front of jurors and conveyed himself as a regular guy with a story to tell,” his obituary reads.

Izzo helped to settle the largest property damage fire case in the history of the State of New Jersey in the Passaic Fire Litigation. The plaintiffs’ award – $60 million.

The late attorney also worked on, and eventually settled, the Long Branch Pier fire case that resulted in another massive settlement.

In his personal life, Izzo, who was a husband and father, was known for his affinity for singing.

He sang at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia with his friends and fellow members of The Orpheus Club of Philadelphia, the nation’s oldest male choral group, his obituary states.

He was also a food connoisseur who loved fine wine and cigars, especially as a way to celebrate a court victory.

Izzo is survived by Janet, his wife of 41 years, children Caren, Jeannine and Michael, and two grandchildren, Santiago and Elena.

Izzo was scheduled to be laid to rest at Eglington Cemetery in Clarksboro, N.J. on Dec. 14 following a funeral mass at St. Patrick’s Church in Woodbury, N.J.