Barry Boss

Co-Chair, Commercial Litigation Department
Co-Chair, White Collar Defense & Investigations

Recent News:

Best Lawyers Honors More Than 200 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys in its Best Lawyers in America 2025 Edition

Best Lawyers selected 242 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s U.S. offices for inclusion in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America.

Barry is one of the leading white-collar criminal defense attorneys in the country. He serves as co-chair of Cozen O’Connor’s Commercial Litigation Department and co-chair of the White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice Group.

In his nearly four decades of practice, Barry has successfully defended companies and individuals under scrutiny for a wide range of criminal activities, including allegations of price-fixing, money laundering, fraud, environmental offenses, gambling, bribery, political corruption, racketeering, and other offenses.

Barry guides clients, whether as target, subject, or witness, through every phase of the criminal justice process — from high-stakes governmental and internal investigations to jury trials and appeals.

A nationally known leader in federal sentencing, Barry is frequently retained to handle the sentencing phase of criminal proceedings and has a record of obtaining sentences lower than requested by prosecutors. Barry is a former co-chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s Practitioners Advisory Group, frequently writes and lectures on sentencing issues, and is a trusted source on sentencing policy for national media organizations. 

Since 2012, Barry has also served on the executive committee of the Edward Bennett Williams Inn of Court, and he is currently that Inn’s program director. In this role, Barry closely tracks major developments in white collar law and is embedded in a professional community comprising the nation’s top defenders, prosecutors, and jurists. He co-authors the biannually updated Federal Criminal Practice, a 800-page treatise for criminal defense attorneys.

Prior to joining Cozen O’Connor in April 2004, Barry served as an assistant federal public defender in Washington, D.C. for five years.

Among his many honors and recognitions, Barry has been ranked by Chambers USA for more than a decade and is consistently recognized as a Washington, D.C. Top 10 or Top 100  Super Lawyer. He was named an ALM Trailblazer (2021) for his innovative work on behalf of the gaming industry, and Washingtonian Magazine inducted him into its “Top Lawyers Hall of Fame” based on 15 years of peer nominations.

Indeed, colleagues and peers are unstinting in their praise. Barry is described as: “a top-rate lawyer with great judgment,” “one of the most respected attorneys in the nation’s capital,” and a lawyer of choice for GCs thanks to his “can-do approach, the importance he places on client service, and his unparalleled responsiveness.” One client recently wrote, “Thank you so much for being our lantern through this process. It’s difficult to put into words how grateful we are.” 

Barry earned his Bachelor of Arts from Bates College and his law degree, with high honors, from George Washington University, where he was a member of Order of the Coif.

Experience

News

Best Lawyers Honors More Than 200 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys in its Best Lawyers in America 2025 Edition

August 15, 2024

Best Lawyers selected 242 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s U.S. offices for inclusion in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America.

Nearly 100 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers, 27 Practices Earn Top Recognition in Chambers USA 2024 Guide

June 10, 2024

Chambers USA rankings are based on an “assessment of a firm’s work and opinions from external market sources, with an emphasis on client feedback.” In order to be ranked in the guide, lawyers and firms must demonstrate “sustained excellence.”

Eleven Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Recognized as Washington, D.C., Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

April 22, 2024

Seven attorneys were recognized as Super Lawyers and four were named Rising Stars, a list that recognizes attorneys under the age of 40.

Barry Boss Speaks with Danny Cevallos on Smerconish About SBF’s Sentencing

November 06, 2023

Barry Boss, Co-chair of the firm’s White Collar Defense & Investigations group, was a guest on the “with Danny Cevallos” program of the Michael Smerconish show on Sirus/XM channel.

Law360 Names Cozen O’Connor a Pennsylvania Powerhouse

August 23, 2023

Cozen O’Connor was previously named a Pennsylvania Powerhouse in 2022, 2018, and 2014.

Best Lawyers Honors More Than 200 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys to its Best Lawyers in America 2024 Edition

August 17, 2023

Best Lawyers selected 232 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s U.S. offices for inclusion in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Eighty-eight Cozen O’Connor Lawyers, 23 Practices Earn Top Recognition in Chambers USA 2023 Guide

June 05, 2023

Of the 88 lawyers ranked, 17 lawyers have been recognized nationally, and eighteen were recognized in Band 1. Eight of the firm's practice areas have been recognized nationally, and nine were ranked Band 1.

14 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys Named 2023 D.C. Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

May 30, 2023

Super Lawyers has named 14 Cozen O’Connor attorneys to its 2023 Washington D.C. Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.

More Than 200 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch

August 22, 2022

210 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 24 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

13 Cozen O'Connor Attorneys Named 2022 D.C. Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

July 12, 2022

Super Lawyers has named 13 Cozen O’Connor attorneys to its 2022 Washington D.C. Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists.

Chambers Ranks 86 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers, 22 Practice Areas in Chambers USA 2022 Guide

June 02, 2022

Chambers USA, the leading annual guide to the top lawyers and law firms in the United States, has ranked 86 Cozen O’Connor lawyers as leaders in their respective fields in the guide’s 2022 edition.

Barry Boss Named a 2021 South Trail Blazer by The American Lawyer

October 18, 2021

Barry Boss, co-chair of the firm’s White Collar Defense & Investigations Group and co-chair, of the firm’s Commercial Litigation Department, has been named a 2021 South Trailblazer by The American Lawyer.

More Than 205 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch By The Best Lawyers In America

August 19, 2021

Best Lawyers selected 210 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

82 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers, 19 Practices Earn Top Recognition in Chambers USA 2021 Guide

May 26, 2021

Chambers USA, the leading annual guide to the top lawyers and law firms in the United States, has ranked 82 Cozen O’Connor lawyers as leaders in their respective fields in the guide’s 2021 edition; of those, 15 lawyers have been recognized nationally.

Twelve Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Recognized as Washington, D.C., Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

May 05, 2021

Super Lawyers has named 12 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to its 2021 Washington, D.C., Super Lawyers and Rising Stars list.

Cozen O’Connor Negotiates Historic Settlement for Offshore Sports-Betting Company

October 01, 2020

Barry Boss, Stephen Miller, and Kara Kapp negotiate a historic non-prosecution agreement involving 5Dimes, a major offshore sports-betting operator.

200 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch By The Best Lawyers In America

August 20, 2020

Best Lawyers selected 200 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© (Copyright 2020 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, SC).

63 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers, 16 Practices Earn Top Recognition in Chambers USA 2020 Guide

May 14, 2020

Chambers USA, the leading annual guide to the top lawyers and law firms in the United States, has ranked 63 Cozen O’Connor lawyers as leaders in their respective fields in the guide’s 2020 edition.

Fourteen Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Recognized as Washington, D.C., Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

April 20, 2020

Super Lawyers has named 14 Cozen O'Connor attorneys to its 2020 Washington, D.C., Super Lawyers and Rising Stars list.

Publications

The Importance of a Racially Diverse Sentencing Commission [Fed. Sentencing Reporter]

April 01, 2022

Barry Boss and Kara Kapp published an article in Federal Sentencing Reporter (Vol. 34, Issue 4, Apr. 2022), titled “The Importance of a Racially Diverse Sentencing Commission.”

Rerouting the Wire Act: Can Statutory Interpretation Save the Wire Act from the Threat of Intermediate Routing Prosecutions? [Gaming International Online]

October 01, 2021

Barry Boss and Kara Kapp published an article in Gaming International Online, which tackles a thorny legal question that has persisted since the advent of the Internet - whether and how the Interstate Wire Act of 1961 applies to Internet communications, and whether this 50-year-old law can be squared with America’s increasing legalization of Internet-based sports wagering activities.

How the Economic Loss Guideline Lost its Way, and How to Save It [Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law]

August 23, 2021

Cozen O’Connor attorneys Barry Boss and Kara Kapp published an essay in the Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law on the arbitrary and disproportionate sentencing recommendations driven by the economic crimes sentencing guideline.

Grievance Panel Weighing Attorney Who Sued Former VP Pence Includes Big Law Partners, White-Collar Defenders [National Law Journal]

February 24, 2021

Barry Boss was quoted in a National Law Journal article discussing a lawyer regulatory panel in Washington, D.C., which recently received a referral from a federal judge who has broadly questioned a lawyer behind a lawsuit challenging the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s presidential victory.

The Department of Justice Announces the First-of-its-Kind Cryptocurrency Enforcement Framework [Alert]

October 09, 2020

Barry Boss and Kara Kapp discuss the DOJ Cyber-Digital Task Force 83-page framework intended to help cryptocurrency entrepreneurs understand and comply with U.S. legal obligations.

Cozen O’Connor Negotiates Historic Settlement for Offshore Sports-Betting Company [Alert]

September 30, 2020

Barry Boss, Stephen A. Miller, and Kara Kapp discuss the non-prosecution agreement involving 5Dimes.

Understanding the DOJ's Airlines Antitrust Investigation [Corporate Counsel]

August 03, 2015

Barry Boss, Stephen Miller, and Rebecca Brodey discuss the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division’s latest investigation – airline capacity restrictions.

Immaculate Suspension: Non-Analytical Positive Doping Violations from USADA to MLB [Entertainment and Sports Lawyer]

March 31, 2014

In an article titled “Immaculate Suspension: Non-Analytical Positive Doping Violations from USADA to MLB,” Barry Boss and Rebecca Brodey, of the Criminal Defense & Internal Investigations Practice Group, discuss a new era of combating drug use in baseball and other sports, one where athletes are increasingly suspended for doping violations not because of a positive drug test, but based on non-analytical evidence.

Education

  • George Washington University Law School, J.D., 1985
  • Bates College, B.A., 1982

Awards & Honors

Fellow, American Board of Criminal Lawyers

Chambers USA, Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations – DC (2010-2024)

American Lawyer's South Trailblazer (2021)

WWL/Lexology’s Business Crime Defence (2019-2023)

D.C. Top Super Lawyers (2024)

D.C. Super Lawyers (2007-2024)

Best Lawyers in America - Criminal Defense: White Collar (2010-2023)

Washingtonian Magazine’s “Top Lawyers Hall of Fame” (2022)

Washingtonian Magazine’s “Top Lawyer – Criminal Defense” (2017-2012)

Lawyer of the Year, District of Columbia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (2000)

Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Teaching Award, George Washington University Law School

Who’s Who Legal – Investigations (2024)

  • District of Columbia
  • Maryland
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
  • U.S. District Court -- District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court -- Maryland
  • U.S. District Court -- Eastern District of Michigan
  • U.S. District Court -- Northern District of Texas

Edward Bennett Williams Inn of Courts

Due Process Institute

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

American Board of Criminal Lawyers

American Bar Association