Degrees of Separation and Connection

Marc Cooper, Esq. is one of the defendants in the Baron’s/Lanson litigation. To understand the magnitude of why this case is ongoing for almost ten years, I invite the viewer to get a glimpse of the connections that Marc Cooper has to the legal community.

Marc Cooper - Partner at Colson, Hicks, Miami Florida

- Partner Dean Colson, former law clerk to the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist and best man to the current Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, John Roberts

- Partner Roberto Martinez, former United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. He is a member of the Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission. General Counsel to Governor Jeb Bush during the gubernatorial transition. Member of Governor Jeb Bush’s Public Corruption Study Commission. Chairman of Attorney General-Elect Charlie Crist’s Transition Team. He was Special Counsel to Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist.

- Partner Ervin Gonzalez, member of the Florida Bar Board of Governors

- Partner Paul Huck, Jr., former General Counsel to Governor Charlie Christ, son of United States District Judge Paul Huck, husband of Third District Court of Appeals Judge Barbara Lagoa

- Partner Mike Eidson, President of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America

- Partner Deborah Gander worked for the Honorable James Lawrence King, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. She also clerked for the Honorable Peter T. Fay, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

- Partner Joseph Matthews was Special Counsel to United States Senator Bob Graham

- Partner Curtis Miner, former Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida

- Partner Susan Johnson Tarbe former Assistant United States Attorney where she was Chief of the Economic Crimes Division. She was a law clerk to the Honorable William M. Hoeveler, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida


- Lauri Waldman Ross - Counsel for Marc Cooper. She is also a Special Counsel for the Judicial Qualifications Commission.

- Chuck Throckmorton - Kozyak Tropin Throckmorton. Mr. Throckmorton’s partner, John Kozyak was appointed to the Judicial Nominating Committee in April, 2008 by Governor Charlie Crist.

- Dean Colson, Colson Hicks, Lauri Waldman Ross, Lauri Waldman Ross, P.A., Theresa Girten (Ms. Ross’ law partner), Kozyak, Tropin, Throckmorton all gave donations to the re-election campaign of Judge Jeri Beth Cohen after she was assigned the Baron’s/Lanson litigation in February, 2008.

- Last but not least, Mr. Cooper’s malpractice insurance carrier is Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company, created and sponsored by The Florida Bar. An insurance company owned by its insured members. The Executive Director of The Florida Bar, John Harkness, who supposedly protects the citizens of the state of Florida from unethical attorneys sits on the Board of Directors of Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company defending the insurance company from claims of malpractice of those same unethical attorneys.

Mr. Cooper committed numerous and severe ethical violations of the Rules
Regulating The Florida Bar in the handling of the Baron’s/Lanson litigation. Yet,
Mr. Cooper has escaped prosecution for almost ten years because of The Florida Bar’s relationship to Mr. Cooper’s malpractice insurance carrier, Florida Lawyers Mutual.