Michael Cohen |

Michael Cohen, who spent more than two decades advocating for attorneys struggling with mental illness and substance abuse, has died.

“My heart is still full of love for all of you, but just doesn't have the energy to keep pumping,” read the final post of Cohen's Facebook page.

Since 1995, Cohen was executive director of Florida Lawyers Assistance Inc., which helps attorneys battling alcoholism, drug addiction, psychological conditions and other ailments.

“Michael's passing leaves a huge hole in the heart of our bar family,” Florida Bar President Michael J. Higer said Thursday. “We will miss him personally, and we will miss him for all that he has done for the lawyers throughout Florida. He leaves an indelible legacy of compassion and dedication to those suffering from addiction and other challenges.”

Cohen battled cancer for 22 years and heart failure for the last five years, according to an Oct. 15 social media post, which suggested he was receiving hospice care at home. He died Wednesday.

“Cats have nine lives and I have already had oh so many more than that,” it read.

Cohen practiced criminal defense law in Massachusetts before moving from Boston to Miami in 1986. He served the Florida Bar in several capacities, including as a member of the Quality of Life & Career Committee, the Substance Abuse Advisory Committee and the Standing Committee on Professionalism. He was part of the American Bar Association's Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs, the clearinghouse for programs in the U.S., Canada and other countries.

His profile details life-changing events that set him on the path to mental health and wellness advocacy.

“I suppose the most important event in my personal history is that I got into recovery when I moved down here and have been clean and sober since then,” Cohen wrote on his profile page on his agency's website. “Today, I'm very lucky to be able to combine my profession and my recovery on a daily basis.”

Bast Amron special counsel Brian Tannebaum was among the attorneys paying tribute as news of Cohen's death broke. He described Cohen as “a source of advice and inspiration … as a human being and as a lawyer.”

“There are lawyers who are alive today, who are practicing today, who are still married today, who are not in jail today, who owe everything they are today to the existence of Michael Cohen,” Tannebaum wrote on Facebook. “I will never forget the things he told me, insight he gave me, and the many clients of mine that he saved, just because of the person he was. I am forever grateful to have been able to know a man like Michael Cohen, and I will forever continue to practice law with the benefit of so much of his wisdom.”

Cohen's final post resonated with optimism and gratitude.

“I have long ago fulfilled my bucket list and want nothing more than to be here with my family and all of you in celebrating my life well lived,” it read. “Love you all.”

Michael Cohen |

Michael Cohen, who spent more than two decades advocating for attorneys struggling with mental illness and substance abuse, has died.

“My heart is still full of love for all of you, but just doesn't have the energy to keep pumping,” read the final post of Cohen's Facebook page.

Since 1995, Cohen was executive director of Florida Lawyers Assistance Inc., which helps attorneys battling alcoholism, drug addiction, psychological conditions and other ailments.

“Michael's passing leaves a huge hole in the heart of our bar family,” Florida Bar President Michael J. Higer said Thursday. “We will miss him personally, and we will miss him for all that he has done for the lawyers throughout Florida. He leaves an indelible legacy of compassion and dedication to those suffering from addiction and other challenges.”

Cohen battled cancer for 22 years and heart failure for the last five years, according to an Oct. 15 social media post, which suggested he was receiving hospice care at home. He died Wednesday.

“Cats have nine lives and I have already had oh so many more than that,” it read.

Cohen practiced criminal defense law in Massachusetts before moving from Boston to Miami in 1986. He served the Florida Bar in several capacities, including as a member of the Quality of Life & Career Committee, the Substance Abuse Advisory Committee and the Standing Committee on Professionalism. He was part of the American Bar Association's Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs, the clearinghouse for programs in the U.S., Canada and other countries.

His profile details life-changing events that set him on the path to mental health and wellness advocacy.

“I suppose the most important event in my personal history is that I got into recovery when I moved down here and have been clean and sober since then,” Cohen wrote on his profile page on his agency's website. “Today, I'm very lucky to be able to combine my profession and my recovery on a daily basis.”

Bast Amron special counsel Brian Tannebaum was among the attorneys paying tribute as news of Cohen's death broke. He described Cohen as “a source of advice and inspiration … as a human being and as a lawyer.”

“There are lawyers who are alive today, who are practicing today, who are still married today, who are not in jail today, who owe everything they are today to the existence of Michael Cohen,” Tannebaum wrote on Facebook. “I will never forget the things he told me, insight he gave me, and the many clients of mine that he saved, just because of the person he was. I am forever grateful to have been able to know a man like Michael Cohen, and I will forever continue to practice law with the benefit of so much of his wisdom.”

Cohen's final post resonated with optimism and gratitude.

“I have long ago fulfilled my bucket list and want nothing more than to be here with my family and all of you in celebrating my life well lived,” it read. “Love you all.”