2025 Ones to Watch - Industry Leaders: Neil Cohen, Barsh and Cohen, P.C.

“Neil Cohen is a trusted force in New England real estate law – leading with clarity, strategy, and integrity. As Managing Partner of Barsh and Cohen, P.C., he consistently delivers results in complex, high-value matters, helping advance transformative development and driving progress across the region’s CRE landscape.”

What recent accomplishment or initiative are you most proud of, and what impact did it have on your firm, clients, or community? This year, I’m most proud of launching the Lawrence P. Cohen Memorial Scholarship in honor of my late father and our firm’s founder. We will award two annual scholarships – supporting a student with a learning difference, and a childhood cancer survivor pursuing a four-year college degree. This initiative carries forward my father’s values, expands our firm’s community impact, and invests in young people who have shown extraordinary resilience.

What is one major challenge you’ve overcome as a leader, and what did it teach you? One major challenge I’ve overcome as a leader is learning to manage different personalities within my team. Early on, I believed one leadership style fit all, but experience quickly taught me that each person is motivated and inspired differently. True leadership isn’t about authority; it’s about connection. I’ve learned to listen, adapt, and make every person feel valued – from CEO to janitor – because everyone contributes to our shared success.

Who has had the greatest impact on your career or leadership journey? My father, my mentor and hero, taught me that true leadership is about people, not power.