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President Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen 'stood out,' Cooley classmate says

The 51-year-old Long Island native "stood out" as a dedicated student with a likeable and colorful personality.
Credit: Yana Paskova, Getty Images
Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's personal attorney, is being investigation by federal officials because of his business practices. He admitted to paying a porn star $130,000 to keep quiet before the 2016 election.

LANSING, Mich. - There was no hint of controversy when Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, was a student at Lansing's Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

The 51-year-old Long Island native "stood out" as a dedicated student with a likeable and colorful personality, according to former classmate Jerome Abood, who is now an East Lansing attorney.

“I knew he had an interest in real estate and was very motivated to get back home and get back to work," Abood said.

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Abood graduated with Cohen in May 1991, part of the Edwin Lawrence class that includes several current judges, county prosecutors and even a Japanese politician.

None have drawn more attention lately than Cohen.

Cohen admitted in February that he paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 one month before the 2016 election as part of a non-disclosure agreement.

Last week, the FBI raided Cohen's Manhattan office and Park Avenue hotel room, and Cohen is now under federal investigation for his business practices.

Abood, however, still considers Cohen a success.

Michael D. Cohen graduated from Lansing's Cooley Law School in May 1991. (Photo: Courtesy of Maureen Callinan)

“I think he’s doing his job," Abood said. "I think he's been the epitome of what a lawyer does for his client. He's represented him."

Just five years ago, Cohen was named in a Cooley newsletter as one of the school's most prominent alumni.

As recently as December of 2016, a Cooley website touted Cohen as one of more than 60 alums who "serve their clients, constituencies and communities with care, skill and dedication."

Now it's difficult to find any school officials willing to say much about him.

"Cohen was a 1991 graduate of the law school, " James Robb, dean of external affairs and general counsel of the school now known as Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School, said in a statement. "A number of years ago we featured him as one of our successful alumni. He has helped us to organize events for our many alumni in the New York City area."

Presented follow up questions by the State Journal about Cooley's relationship with Cohen, Terry Carella, a school spokesperson, referred to Robb's statement.

Defense mode

It's not hard to find social media posts from Cohen's critics who accuse him and Cooley of poor legal credentials.

Cooley has been criticized nationally for its low admissions standards and the number of graduates who don't pass the bar exam. Criticism in the national media has intensified since Cohen has been in the news.

Rick Wilson of The Daily Beast described Cohen in an April 10 column as having a "strip-mall law degree."

On the same day, Red State's Sarah Rumph described Cooley as "the sub-basement of the bottom-tier, and then digging furiously through the floor deep into the substrata below."

The criticism directed at the school angers Mark Wheeler, a Chicago bankruptcy attorney and alum.

Wheeler graduated in the same 1991 class as Cohen but said he didn't know that until a reporter told him Tuesday night. He remains a staunch defender of the school.

"It gave me a chance that other law schools would not have given me," Wheeler said of Cooley. "I could have never got into (University of) Michigan Law School -— not on a good day, a bad day or a blue moon in May."

Wheeler said he had a 1.9 grade point average his first term at Cooley.

Wheeler learned new ways to study, earned scholarships after his grades improved and has found career fulfillment helping mostly low-income clients obtain relief from debt.

Wheeler said he agrees with Abood that Cohen is a success because Cohen is tied to Trump, arguably the most powerful person in the world.

"He would not be in the news if he wasn't successful," Wheeler said of Cohen. "He's still a successful person — but success changes a lot of people."

'Teachable moment'

Cohen doesn't appear to have spent much time spent in the Lansing area.

He has never been licensed to practice law in Michigan, said Samantha Meinke, a State Bar of Michigan spokesperson.

Cooley's bio for Cohen, which has been removed from the website, said he served on six Trump property boards, was co-president of Trump Entertainment and held a position in the Miss Universe Organization.

Mary Wickens, a 1978 Cooley graduate, said she's hopeful the legal controversy Cohen has created will prompt the school to conduct more ethics training for students.

The East Lansing resident said she doesn't know Cohen, but knows enough about him in news reports to be concerned.

"It saddens me to see even one of our graduates who appears to not have that high ethical standard," said Wickens, who has had her own practice for 15 years.

Cooley has an opportunity to repair its battered image because it can tell the stories and utilize the talents of its over 20,000 alumni around the world who haven't created controversy, Wickens said.

Wickens also points to Cooley's affordability as an asset. She went to school when tuition was $50 per credit hour.

Notable Cooley alums with Lansing ties range from former Michigan Gov. John Engler, Michigan State's interim president, to Tampa Bay Lightning head coach John Cooper.

“Cooley is a teaching institution and I think that Cohen presents a teachable moment," Wickens said.

Eric Lacy is a reporter for the Lansing State Journal. Contact him at 517-377-1206 or elacy@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLacy.

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