Two black men who were arrested April 12 at a Starbucks coffee shop in Philadelphia as they waited to meet an acquaintance for a business meeting have retained counsel from a well-known mass-tort civil litigation firm as protesters Monday staged sit-ins.

Stewart Cohen of Cohen, Placitella & Roth has been retained to explore any possible civil suit, said Center City attorney Lauren Wimmer, who handled the case as the Philadelphia district attorney declined to press charges.