Cozen O’Connor Continues its Labor & Employment Buildout, Adding Two More Labor Lawyers to its Philadelphia Office

PHILADELPHIA, September 15, 2025 - International law firm Cozen O'Connor today welcomed two highly regarded Pennsylvania-based labor lawyers, Daniel L. Blanchard and Daniel F. Thornton, to its fast-growing Labor & Employment Department. Both come to the firm from Jackson Lewis P.C.-rejoining former colleague and shareholder Marla N. Presley, who moved to Cozen O'Connor and its Pittsburgh office in July. Blanchard and Thornton will reside in the firm's Philadelphia office. Both are licensed to practice in New Jersey.

Blanchard joins the firm as a member and Thornton joins as counsel. Both attorneys bring substantial track records of representing and counseling a wide range of major, corporate-level employers on a range of complex workplace disputes.

Blanchard focuses his practice on pre-litigation claims and litigation, as well as preventive counseling, internal/external investigations, and workplace training. His matters typically involve disability, leave and health management disputes; harassment, discrimination, and retaliation claims; workplace training; and national compliance issues, which often entail helping clients develop proactive, multi-state employment strategies.

Thornton focuses on class action defense and restrictive covenant disputes. He regularly defends employers in court on claims ranging from harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, to whistleblower and wage-and-hour actions. Working closely with employers, he drafts employee policies and handbooks, conducts internal investigations, manages discovery, takes and defends depositions, and argues motions and appeals.

"Growing our Labor & Employment practice is one of the firm's key strategic objectives -both domestically and internationally," said Thomas S. Giotto, chair of the firm's Labor & Employment Department. "Dan Blanchard and Dan Thornton bring us substantial experience defending employers in the courtroom, as well as advising them on ways to prevent employment-related lawsuits from occurring in the first place. They're another important addition to our still-growing team and I'm happy to welcome them to Cozen O'Connor."

Both Blanchard and Thornton have followed somewhat similar career paths. Blanchard began his career as an assistant district attorney with the Philadelphia District Attorney's office. He then moved to a boutique firm in New Jersey where he handled the business litigation and employment law matters while also acting as its human resources manager.

Thornton served as a deputy attorney general with the New Jersey Attorney General's office, representing New Jersey in employment lawsuits involving discrimination, retaliation, employee benefits, and a putative breach-of-contract class action. Both were recognized by The Best Lawyers in America© for "Labor and Employment Law Management" and "Labor and Employment Litigation" in 2024 and 2025.

"I've worked closely with Dan Blanchard and Dan Thornton for years and I'm so happy they've agreed to join us," Presley said. "Cozen O'Connor is deeply committed to building the profession's leading full-service Labor & Employment practice and I can say first-hand that they're a solid addition to our team."

Blanchard earned his J.D. at Syracuse University College of Law, an M.P.A. at Syracuse University, and a B.A. at the University of Pennsylvania. Thornton earned his J.D. at the University of Virginia School of Law, and a B.S. and B.A. at Washington and Lee University.

About Cozen O'Connor

Established in 1970, Cozen O'Connor has over 925 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle market companies, Cozen O'Connor serves its clients' needs through 33 offices across two continents.

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