Nancy J. Courson Cooke

Nancy Courson Cooke, Principal and Managing Partner at Dirska & Levin, LLC, has represented employers and insurers in Workers’ Compensation matters for nearly 30 years. At the same time, Nancy served for five years on the Maryland Labor Relations Board, appointed by former Governor Hogan. Nancy is currently serving her third, three-year term on the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board of the National Council on Compensation Insurance.

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Nancy is active with the Maryland State Bar Association. She served as Chair of the Negligence, Insurance, and Workers’ Compensation Section Council for the 2022-2023 term, was selected by the section to serve as its representative on the Board of Governors for the 2024-2026 term, and was selected as a Fellow of the Maryland Bar Foundation. Nancy’s strong leadership was recognized with the 2024 MSBA Presidential Outstanding Service Award, which celebrates her commitment to advancing the practice of law and public service. This honor was awarded for the groundbreaking program Settlement Template Generator, a tool designed to streamline and standardize settlement agreements for workers' compensation cases.  Nancy’s role as Chair for this program also contributed to the team’s receipt of the 2024 MSBA Presidential Best Section Program Benefiting the Bar Award.

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Nancy was recently selected to serve on the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Education Association board, representing business and industry. She also serves as Co-Chair for the Workers’ Compensation and Unemployment Insurance committee of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, providing advice on proposed legislation. She is a Maryland Defense Counsel’s Workers’ Compensation Committee member.

 

Nancy has tried hundreds of cases before the Commission, handled dozens of jury trials throughout the Circuit Courts of Maryland, and argued several cases before the Appellate Courts, including the Chesson v. Montgomery Mutual cases. These cases resulted in the exclusion of the claimant’s mold expert at trial and established that in Maryland, medical opinions must generally be grounded in accepted scientific principles. She is a 1996 graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law.

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Barred in Maryland

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