Kevin Kalwary heads the investigative unit at Cohen, Jayson & Foster, conducting in-house investigations and supervising staff and outside investigators. He also serves as the firm’s media liaison, helping clients and attorneys of the firm when a case attracts the attention of the media. Kevin is sensitive to the firm’s clients and the firm’s policy of stringently protecting the reputation of the client in the court of public opinion. Most of the time, it is imperative that our client’s identity is not a matter of public record and Kevin serves to preserve that anonymity. On the other hand, when the client’s identity becomes public, Kevin is skilled at ensuring the client’s reputation is preserved in the court of public opinion.
Kevin is exceptionally well qualified for his dual role, having been in the news and communications business for nearly 30 years. He has won over 50 national and state journalism awards, including eight television Emmys, five Florida Bar awards for legal news stories, 10 Associated Press awards and 13 Society of Professional Journalism awards.
Kevin began his career as a newspaper reporter for The Tampa Tribune, specializing in crime, politics and investigations. He has also covered politics for the Associated Press, as well as major news stories for Time Magazine. After 12 years in print journalism, Kevin moved to television, specializing in long-term investigative pieces for Tampa-affiliates WTSP-Channel 10 and WTVT-Channel 13, where he spent a total of 13 years.
In 1996, Kevin joined Cohen, Jayson & Foster. Employing the same skills that earned him media accolades, Kevin helps the firm’s legal staff ferret out hidden facts and determine the “story behind the story.” His ability to find witnesses and bring critical information to light provides the firm’s lawyers with a goldmine of evidence to use at settlement and trial.
As a new breed of law firm investigator, Kevin brings a different kind of investigative perspective to his cases. His background in journalism provides him with decades of experience in getting doors open and people talking. This trait sets him leagues apart from other law firm investigators, many of whom are retired police officers who are not trained in the subtle persuasive skills needed to convince people to volunteer important information. Kevin’s training as a journalist provides a foundation built on empathy and simple curiosity, attributes that give the firm’s attorneys added understanding in their representation of clients. His reputation for honesty and integrity is well known among judges, prosecutors and attorneys in the community.
In addition to heading the firm’s investigation unit, Kevin—using media and political contacts developed over a quarter of a century—serves as a media liaison and adviser for the firm’s attorneys and clients. Because of their high profile nature, many of the firm’s criminal cases draw public scrutiny. Kevin is an expert in making appropriate use of the media to a client’s advantage, as well as keeping a case out of the spotlight when necessary.
Kevin also counsels clients in a wide range of media-related areas, including crisis management, corporate positioning, community relations, publicity, spokesperson training and public relations. He teaches a popular course for members of the American Inns of Court entitled “Welcome to the Lion’s Den,” on how to handle the intense glare of the media spotlight.
Kevin is a graduate of Ohio State University, majoring in journalism and political science.