William A. (“Bill”) Cohan, received his A.B. (Bachelor of Arts with honors) from Stanford University in 1970 and his J.D. (Juris Doctorate) from the University of Washington in 1976. Bill was admitted to practice in Colorado in 1976, residing in Denver from 1976-1988. He moved to San Diego in 1988 and was admitted to practice in California in 1989.
Bill Cohan is ably assisted by two paralegals, who collectively have been with him more than thirty years. For the past forty years half of Mr. Cohan’s practice has been devoted to litigating federal civil and criminal white collar cases, conspiracies to defraud investors and/or the United States, money laundering, tax and related criminal charges, including searches and seizures, forfeitures, grand jury proceedings and summons enforcement litigation; civil litigation of business and property disputes accounts for the remaining half of Mr. Cohan’s practice.
Mr. Cohan has enjoyed a successful career for a criminal defense lawyer and civil litigator, achieving dismissals or acquittals of all or substantially all charges in 53 of 86 cases and obtaining more than a dozen judgments and settlements above $1 million. He has also persuaded the government not to file criminal charges against more than 20 clients. The following are citations to some of his more than 80 reported and unreported decisions:
Kahre v. U.S. District Court, 289 Fed.Appx. 169 (9th Cir. (Nev.) 2008); Alires v. Crowther, 279 Fed.Appx. 499 (9th Cir. 2008); Hewitt v. Rice, 154 P.3d 408 (Colo. 2007); U.S. v. Andersen, 298 F.3d 804 (9th Cir. 2002); U.S. v. Christensen, __ F.3d __, 1999 WL 47391 (9th Cir. 1999) (unreported); Par Husan Ventures v. Thurl Boyd, Colorado Court of Appeals, Docket No. 97CA0948 (2/25/99) (unreported); U.S. v. Lindberg, 220 F.3d 1120 (9th Cir. 2000) (unreported); U.S. v. Marsh, 144 F.3d 1229 (9th Cir. 1998), U.S. v. Voss, 82 F.3d 1521 (10th Cir. 1996); Kilpatrick v. U.S., 487 U.S. 250, 108 S.Ct. 2369, 101 L.Ed.2d 228 (1988); U.S. v. Peterson, 37 F.3d 1564 (10th Cir. 1994); U.S. v. Green, 12 F.3d 1109 (1993); NCBA v. Archer, 31 F.3d 1521 (10th Cir. 1994); U.S. v. Holland, 19 F.3d 1444 (10th Cir. 1994) (unreported); U.S. v. Engstrom, 7 F.3d 1423 (9th Cir. 1993); U.S. v. Lillie, 989 F.2d 1054 (9th Cir. 1993); Pleasant v. Lovell, 974 F.2d 1222 (10th Cir. 1992); U.S. v. Holland, 956 F.2d 990 (10th Cir. 1992); U.S. v. Dawes, 951 F.2d 1189 (10th Cir. 1991); NCBA v. U.S., 951 F.2d 1172 (10th Cir. 1991); U.S. v. Schandl, 947 F.2d 462 (11th Cir. 1991); U.S. v. Bentson, 947 F.2d 1353 (9th Cir. 1991); U.S. v. Schmidt, 947 F.2d 362 (9th Cir. 1991); U.S. v. Nordbrock, 941 F.2d 947 (9th Cir. 1991); U.S. v. Wade, 940 F.2d 1375 (10th Cir. 1991); U.S. v. Sinigaglio, 925 F.2d 339 (9th Cir. 1991), amended 942 F.2d 581 (9th Cir. 1991); Grandbouche v. Lovell, 913 F.2d 835 (10th Cir. 1990); NCBA v. Gibbs, 886 F.2d 1240 (10th Cir. 1989); Hintze v. IRS, 879 F.2d 121 (4th Cir. 1989); Clapp v. CIR, 875 F.2d 1396 (9th Cir. 1989); U.S. v. Minarik, 875 F.2d 1186 (6th Cir. 1989); Pleasant v. Lovell, 876 F.2d 787 (10th Cir. 1989); U.S. v. Stelten, 867 F.2d 446 (8th Cir. 1989); U.S. v. Hayes, 861 F.2d 1225 (10th Cir. 1988); U.S. v. Spurgeon, 861 F.2d 181 (8th Cir. 1988); U.S. v. Hawley, 855 F.2d 595 (8th Cir. 1988); In re Grand Jury Proceedings, 842 F.2d 1229 (11th Cir. 1988); U.S. v. Taylor, 828 F.2d 630 (10th Cir. 1987); Grandbouche v. Clancy, 825 F.2d 1463 (10th Cir. 1987); U.S. v. Kouba, 822 F.2d 768 (8th Cir. 1987); U.S. v. Mid-States Exchange, 815 F.2 1227 (8th Cir. 1987); U.S. v. Varbel, 780 F.2d 758 (9th Cir. 1986); Voss v. Bergsgaard, 774 F.2d 402 (10th Cir. 1985); U.S. v. Dobey, 751 F.2d 1140 (10th Cir. 1985); In re First National Bank of Englewood, 701 F.2d 115 (10th Cir. 1983); Heinold Hog Market v. McCoy, 700 F.2d 611 (10th Cir. 1983); U.S. v. Warinner, 607 F.2d 210 (8th Cir. 1979); NCBA v. Gibbs, 790 F.Supp. 233 (D.Colo. 1991); U.S. v. Schweitzer, 775 F.Supp. 1355 (D.Mont. 1991); U.S. v. Karlin, (unpublished), 1991 WL 126615 (D.Kan. 1991); U.S. v. Karlin, 762 F.Supp. 911 (D.Kan. 1991); U.S. v. Nordbrock, 734 F.Supp. 908 (D.Ariz. 1990); Huebner v. U.S., 731 F.Supp. 1441 (D.Ariz. 1990); U.S. v. Kilpatrick, 726 F.Supp. 789 (D.Colo. 1989); Hansen v. Meese, 675 F.Supp. 1482 (E.D.Va. 1987); In re Grand Jury (Shelleda), 666 F.Supp. 196 (D.Colo. 1987); Pleasant v. Lovell, 654 F.Supp. 1082 (D.Colo. 1987); In re Grand Jury, 650 F.Supp. 159 (N.D.Ga. 1987); U.S. v. Kouba, 632 F.Supp. 937 (D.N.D. 1986); NCBA v. U.S., 625 F.Supp 920 (D.Colo. 1986); U.S. v. Premises Known as 1007 Morningside Ave., 625 F.Supp. 1343 (N.D. Iowa 1985); U.S. v. Bahr, 580 F.Supp. 167 (N.D. Iowa 1983); In re “Agent Orange” Prod. Liab. Lit., 534 F.Supp. 1046 (E.D.N.Y. 1982); Grandbouche v. Adams, 529 F.Supp. 545 (D.Colo. 1982); In re “Agent Orange” Prod. Liab. Lit., 506 F.Supp 762 (E.D.N.Y. 1980); In re “Agent Orange” Prod. Liab. Lit., 506 F.Supp. 756 (E.D.N.Y. 1980); In re “Agent Orange” Prod. Liab. Lit., 506 F.Supp. 754 (E.D.N.Y. 1980); In re “Agent Orange” Prod. Liab. Lit., 506 F.Supp. 737 (E.D.N.Y. 1980); In re “Agent Orange” Prod. Liab. Lit., 506 F.Supp 575 (E.D.N.Y. 1980); and U.S. v. Ellis, 496 F.Supp 76 (D.Kan. 1980).
Mr. Cohan is and has been a member in good standing of the State Bar of Colorado, Bar No. 7426, since October 21, 1976, and the State Bar of California, Bar No. 141804, since October 6, 1989, and of the United States District Courts for the Districts of Arizona, Colorado, the Eastern District of Michigan and the Southern, Central, Northern and Eastern Districts of California where he regularly practices law. Cohan is also a member in good-standing of the bars of the following courts:
COURT DATE OF ADMISSION
U.S. Supreme Court 11/05/79
U.S. Tax Court 03/28/80
U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit 05/16/89
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit 10/07/88
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit 11/01/83
U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit 07/13/87
U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit 12/22/88
U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit 05/07/79
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit 04/18/80
U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit 12/19/77
U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit 07/06/87
U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia 03/31/89
Additionally, Cohan has been admitted pro hac vice in the following United States District Courts: Alaska, Arizona, Western District of Washington, Districts of Oregon, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Eastern and Western District of Michigan, Utah, New Mexico, Western District of Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Maryland, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Nevada; Northern, Eastern and Southern Districts of Texas; Northern District of Illinois; Northern, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York; Northern, Eastern and Western Districts of Oklahoma; Middle District of Tennessee; Northern and Southern Districts of Florida; Eastern District of Virginia; Northern District of Georgia; Northern District of Iowa; and the Western District of Missouri.