Zachary Cohen has declared his candidacy for Lehigh County judge in the Court of Common Pleas.

Cohen is cross-filing for the May 2021 Democratic and Republican Primaries.

Cohen, a partner at Lesavoy, Butz and Seitz, Allentown, has focused primarily on civil litigation and commercial law for almost 20 years.

He says his extensive experience includes complex trial law in local, state and federal courts, as well as being a court appointed arbitrator at the state and federal levels.

Cohen is past president of the Bar Association of Lehigh County and served as a judicial clerk to Judge Robert Freedberg, former president judge of Northampton County, and judge on the Pennsylvania Superior Court.

Cohen, who ran for judge in 2019, was ranked by the Bar Association of Lehigh County as “Exceptionally Well Qualified,” its highest rating for a candidate for the county bench.

“Growing up in Lehigh County and now raising my own family here, I am committed to our county and all of its people,” Cohen said, in announcing his candidacy. “I am running for judge to serve my community.”

Cohen also talked about his judicial philosophy.

“Too many people look at the courts with fear and dread,” Cohen said. “The courthouse should be a place where people can have hope, a place where wrongs can be righted, a place where people’s lives can be changed for the better.”

Cohen serves on the board of directors of the Jewish Day School of Lehigh Valley, and B’nai B’rith Housing Corporation that provides Section 8 housing in Allentown, as well as on the executive boards of the Judge Donald E. Wieland Sr. Barristers Inn and Tikvah House Group Home.

Cohen, his wife, Virginia, and two children, Brendan and Caitlin, reside in Orefield.