Attorney and Philanthropist Pia Cohler Joins Innocence Project Board of Directors

(New York, New York, December 5, 2024) The Innocence Project today announced the election of attorney and philanthropist Pia Cohler to the organization’s Board of Directors. 

Ms. Cohler previously practiced corporate law with Skadden Arps, Slate Meagher & Flom LLP and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. She subsequently dedicated herself to pro bono and philanthropic work in the criminal legal system, both in the United States and in the United Kingdom. For the past seven years, Ms. Cohler has volunteered at the Innocence Project, undertaking comprehensive case reviews for the intake department, which is responsible for managing, analyzing, and vetting each letter the Innocence Project receives to determine if it will be able to provide legal assistance. At least one of the requests for representation reviewed by Ms. Cohler was accepted by the Innocence Project’s post-conviction litigation department. Building on her experience, Ms Cohler made a significant gift to the Innocence Project, which allowed for investments in staff and technology that streamlined the intake department’s ability to process and respond to requests.  

“I have dreamed of working with the Innocence Project since I first heard about it as a young law student,” Ms. Cohler said.”It has been a privilege to work closely with the intake team. I look forward to deepening my commitment to protecting the freedom of the wrongly convicted as a board member of the Innocence Project.”

The Innocence Project receives an average of 2,000 requests for representation each year, and every letter is read and responded to by the intake and evaluation team. With Ms. Cohler’s gift, the intake team was able to significantly reduce the amount of time required to review and respond to these inquiries and identify viable wrongful conviction cases. Her support also allowed the team to hire its first investigations attorney. Some of the cases being evaluated are decades old, and the investigations attorney works to determine whether case evidence still exists or has been lost or destroyed by reaching out, for example, to laboratories to see if they are still in possession of items that, if subjected to DNA testing, might exonerate an applicant. This role also allowed the Innocence Project to completely revolutionize its work with law firms. The organization expanded its partnerships from two firms to 10 during the tenure of this position, and was able to develop a process for evaluating requests for representation from both individuals whose innocence can be proven by DNA testing as well as people whose convictions are based on false confessions, unreliable forensic evidence, and other leading causes of wrongful conviction.

”Pia has already made extraordinary contributions to the Innocence Project by dedicating her time to reviewing and analyzing requests for representation and providing resources to fill important gaps she observed through her work as a volunteer. This is exactly the kind of commitment and strategic vision that will make her a great board member,” said Christina Swarns, executive director of the Innocence Project.

“We are honored to welcome Pia Cohler to the Innocence Project Board of Directors,” said Innocence Project Board Chair Jack Taylor. “She has demonstrated a strong commitment to our mission to free the wrongly convicted and prevent wrongful convictions from happening in her work with the intake department. We know she will have many more valuable contributions to the organization in the years to come.”