Legal Scholar Who Helped Bridge U.S.-China Divide Dies at 95
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Jerome Cohen, a pioneering scholar of Chinese law and a key influence in U.S.-China relations, died on Sept. 22 at his home in New York. He was 95.
Cohen’s career spanned the heights of American academia and the front lines of U.S.-China engagement. He created the East Asian Legal Studies program at Harvard University in the 1960s and co-founded the U.S.-Asia Law Institute at New York University (NYU) School of Law in 2006, establishing the two premier centers for Chinese legal studies outside of China. He was also one of the first Western lawyers to practice in the country, opening a Beijing office for a prominent U.S. law firm in 1979.
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- Jerome A. Cohen, a leading scholar of Chinese law and U.S.-China relations, died at 95 in New York.
- He founded major East Asian legal studies programs at Harvard and NYU, helped open China to Western legal practice, and played key diplomatic roles in the 1970s.
- Cohen shaped U.S.-China legal engagement, trained many influential professionals, and advocated reforms in China’s legal system.
- Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
- Jerome A. Cohen, after resigning from Harvard in 1981, led the Asia practice for Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. In this role, he was instrumental in assisting major international firms in entering the Chinese market and trained a large group of professionals in foreign-related law and international tax.
- July 1, 1930：
- Jerome A. Cohen was born.
- 1959：
- Cohen became a professor at the University of California, Berkeley and decided to focus on Chinese law.
- 1960s：
- Cohen created the East Asian Legal Studies program at Harvard University.
- 1963-1964：
- Cohen spent over a year in Hong Kong conducting research by interviewing refugees, former public security personnel, and judges.
- 1968：
- Cohen published 'The Criminal Process in the People’s Republic of China, 1949–1963.'
- 1969：
- Cohen and other China experts submitted a secret memorandum to President Richard Nixon advocating for improved U.S.-China relations.
- By 1972：
- Cohen visited Beijing and was received by Premier Zhou Enlai.
- 1979：
- Cohen opened a Beijing office for a prominent U.S. law firm, becoming one of the first Western lawyers to practice in China.
- 1981：
- Cohen officially resigned from Harvard to lead the Asia practice at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
- 2000：
- Cohen retired from legal practice and began a full-time professorship at NYU School of Law.
- After 2000：
- Cohen spent 20 years as a full-time professor at NYU School of Law.
- 2006：
- Cohen co-founded the U.S.-Asia Law Institute at NYU School of Law.
- Sept. 22, 2025：
- Jerome A. Cohen died at his home in New York at the age of 95.
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