A guest post obituary today from Lee Huttner:
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| Irwin Kosover died this week at age 80. He was a fixture for many years in Kings County Supreme Court, representing defendants only.His cast of carrier clients included Empire Insurance and Eagle Insurance. He was well known for his no nonsense approach, which made some younger attorneys feel that he was a bully — only to learn over the years that he actually was helping toughen up his young adversaries.
It was well known among the “regulars” in Brooklyn that he hated motions dealing with “serious injury” threshold because he believed all lawyers should make a living. Even though he thought most cases were exaggerated, he usually “lost” the threshold motions. His “file” was a single sheet of paper. Irwin maintained an office at 26 Court Street for many years. He refused any and all offers to buy him lunch, preferring to eat in the office. He once promised he would let me buy lunch upon his retirement. He knew that day would never come as he knew that he would work to his dying day. Many attorneys have provided stories about Irwin. I’m sure he would be happy to know that he was respected. A common thread throughout the stories was that he was tough. Young attorneys thought he was mean and abrasive. Irwin would always smile when a young lawyer figured out that it was “shtick” from a tough old fashioned lawyer. One attorney tells how she first met Irwin as a litigant. He was tough and pushed a settlement. He did not want to see her get nothing-but not too much either. Most of all Irwin loved his wife. When she was suffering from the cancer that eventually took her life, he would say she was his life. When she passed a piece of Irwin died as well. Hopefully they are together again. He will be missed. |