Isaiah D. Cooper
Attorney at Law

Cooper Law LLC’s practice is focused on helping businesses and entrepreneurs document
and close business transactions, including buying and selling businesses and/or assets,
obtaining or providing debt financing, private placements of equity interests in order to
raise capital, strategic ventures among multiple entities, engaging distributors of products
or services, and engaging suppliers or manufacturers of parts.

Attorney Isaiah D. Cooper founded Cooper Law LLC in New Haven, Connecticut, at the
beginning of 2004 and has continued his transactional law practice in his own firm since
then. He began his law career in September 1991 as a tax associate with Gordon, Altman,
Butowsky, Weitzen, Shalov & Wein (now defunct). From September 1994 to December
1996, he was associated with the tax, trust, and estates business firm of Withers Bergman
LLP (formerly Bergman, Horowitz & Reynolds, P.C.) in New Haven, Connecticut. In 1996, in
order to gain more experience with private placements and business transactions, Isaiah
took a position at Pepe & Hazard LLP (which was subsequently acquired by McElroy,
Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter/PH, LLP). Attorney Cooper remained at “Pepe & Hazard”
until December 2001, when he became Of Counsel to Gregory & Adams P.C. in Wilton,
Connecticut. Attorney Cooper continued to practice at Gregory & Adams P.C. until the end
of 2003.

Attorney Cooper earned his law degree at the NYU School of Law in 1991. He is admitted to
the bar in Connecticut and New York. Prior to beginning law school in August 1988, Isaiah
worked for two years (1986-88) as a paralegal at the products liability firm of Herzfeld &
Rubin, P.C. in New York City.

Before his legal career, Isaiah was a professional trombonist. Mr. Cooper performed as
principal trombonist with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra in Israel in 1985-86, the
Friedens Orchester (Peace Orchestra) in Stuttgart, Germany in 1984-85, the Los Angeles
Chamber Orchestra, the Santa Monica Symphony, the Korean Orchestra of Los Angeles, the
Japanese Orchestra of Los Angeles, and the Orchestra of the Barrio from 1982-1984, and
has done recording work in Memphis, Tennessee, Los Angeles, California, and Jerusalem
and Tel Aviv, Israel. He has performed in marching bands, salsa bands, soul bands, klezmer
bands, big bands, chamber music, and theatrical avant-garde ensembles.In 1973, Isaiah enrolled in a five-year program to obtain bachelors's and master's degrees in Music
Education at the University of Buffalo (formerly SUNY at Buffalo). After two years in that
program, he decided to pursue a degree in trombone performance and received his
Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1978. During his five years in Buffalo, he studied with
Richard Myers (of blessed memory), then the principal trombonist in the Buffalo
Philharmonic Orchestra (the “BPO”), and also with Donald Miller, then the bass trombonist
in the BPO. During his time in Buffalo, Isaiah performed with the salsa band “El Grande
Sonito” (1973-74), The Equinox Soul Band (1975-76), as well as with a wide variety of
chamber music groups.

Isaiah continued studying music at Youngstown State University (YSU) from 1978 to 1980,
studying with Dr. Vern Kagarice (of blessed memory), who finished his career teaching at
North Texas State University School of Music. During the summer of 1979, Isaiah toured the Great Lakes Region with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra, performing at
waterfront parks from a motorized barge/floating stage. Mr. Cooper obtained his Master of
Music degree in trombone performance from YSU in 1981.

Isaiah attended the University of Memphis (then Memphis State University) as a graduate
student from 1980 to 1982. In Memphis, he studied with Dr. Douglas Lemmon (of blessed
memory) and did a great deal of teaching and performing in Memphis. During those years,
Isaiah was the “first call” substitute trombonist in the Memphis studios (where he recorded
commercial jingles), the Memphis Symphony, the Memphis Opera, the Memphis Ballet, and
the Memphis Concert Band. During the “Memphis in May” festivals in 1981 and 1982,
Isaiah was able to perform with an almost all African-American big band which included
alumni of The Memphis Horns, The Ray Charles Band, Aretha Franklin, and others. He even
got to play for a rodeo in Memphis. During the summer of 1982, Isaiah worked as an usher
at the amphitheater at the then-new Mud Island River Park. Rather than just ushering,
Isaiah was often given the responsibility of transporting the entertainers to and from the
facility. In this connection, he met Al Jarreau, David Sanborn, Donny and Marie Osmond,
Hal Holbrook, and the members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Isaiah decided to continue his doctoral studies at the University of Southern California and
transferred there for the fall semester of 1982. He spent two years (from 1982 to 1984) in
the L.A. area completing significant course work and performances towards a doctor of
musical arts degree (which he did not complete). Isaiah studied with Dr. Terry Cravens at
USC and privately with Ralph Sauer, then the principal trombonist in the Los Angeles
Philharmonic Orchestra. During these years, Isaiah also taught and freelanced extensively,
performing as principal trombonist with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Santa
Monica Symphony, the Korean Orchestra of Los Angeles, the Japanese Orchestra of Los
Angeles, and the Orchestra of the Barrio. He also put significant energy into composing and
conducting and premiering a number of new compositions, including ones he wrote.
Concurrents, his improvisational avant-garde quartet (flute, trombone, vibraphone and
cello) did a live broadcast of music written by its members (including Mr. Cooper) on
public radio station KPFK in Southern California in 1984.

Isaiah received a grant from the German Academic Exchange Service to study in Germany
from August 1984 until July 1985, spending two months studying German at the Goethe
Institute in Freiburg, and ten months studying trombone with Herr Professor Dr. Armin
Rosin at the Staatliche Hochschule Fȕr Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart. Isaiah
also did a fair amount of freelancing in Stuttgart and around Germany during that year.
Isaiah again played with a Salsa band during his time in Stuttgart. In addition to Isaiah, this
band included players from Puerto Rico, Colombia, Greece, Peru, Argentina, and Germany.
He was also able to premier several compositions, both his own compositions and pieces by
others, including a piece for three alphorns (remember the Ricola cough drops
commercial?), brass, and percussion.

In the spring of 1985, Dr. Rosin did a series of recitals in Israel and discovered that the
Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra (JSO) needed a new principal trombonist. The JSO’s then
music director, Gary Bertini, was also the conductor of the West German Radio Orchestra (in Cologne), and was scheduled to guest conduct the South German Radio Orchestra (in
Stuttgart) in June of 1985. This meant that Isaiah was able to audition for the job in
Jerusalem while still in Stuttgart, Germany. The following year (1985-86) Isaiah performed
as principal trombonist for the JSO and freelanced with a big band from Tel Aviv, and the
Israel Chamber Orchestra. He also played trombone trios and quartets with his JSO section
mates and a talented student.

At the end of Isaiah’s year in Jerusalem, the JSO did a tour in Germany. This was the first time since World War II and the Nazi genocide of European Jewry (among others) that a Jewish orchestra performed there.

Isaiah returned to the United States in the summer of 1986. He took a paralegal position at Herzfeld and Rubin (a products liability defense firm representing Volkswagen of America and most of the other automobile manufacturers) and moved in with his brother in Park Slope. He met his wife, Lauri Jan Lowell, at the Park Slope Jewish Center. Isaiah and Lauri
were married in June of 1988 and Isaiah began law school two months later. Isaiah and Lauri had two children and were married for 26 years before separating in 2014 and becoming divorced in 2016. Despite that, they are still good friends.

After Isaiah and Lauri separated in May of 2014, Isaiah began keeping company with
Helene Sapadin and now lives with her in the Fair Haven neighborhood of New Haven.