Matthew Cohen
Partner
Matthew Cohen is a Partner at Aleshire & Wynder, bringing more than two decades of experience advising and representing public agencies in California and internationally. He currently serves as Assistant City Attorney for the Cities of Bell and La Cañada Flintridge, and as Special Counsel for the City of Compton, where he provides day-to-day counsel on municipal governance, regulatory compliance, and a wide range of local government matters.
Mr. Cohen previously served as a presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed Senior Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), including as Deputy General Counsel. In that role, he managed a 130-member legal team at a 16,000 person, $42 billion a year agency, and advised senior U.S. officials—including the White House National Security Council, the U.S. Department of State, and Congress—on complex regulatory, governance, and litigation issues. His experience includes negotiating international agreements with foreign ministers and ambassadors, ensuring compliance with federal and local laws, and resolving high-stakes disputes while living and working in Africa, South America, and the Middle East.
Prior to joining Aleshire & Wynder, Mr. Cohen practiced at Richards, Watson & Gershon in Los Angeles, where he advised more than 30 public agencies, on municipal governance, environmental compliance, employment law, and civil litigation. He has extensive experience in public contracting, ethics, and regulatory enforcement, as well as environmental remediation under state and federal law.
Mr. Cohen earned his J.D. from the University of California, Davis School of Law, an M.S. in Forestry, and a B.S. in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology. He also served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Oruro, Bolivia, working with Aymara farmers on agroforestry and soil conservation projects. He is admitted to the State Bar of California and is fluent in Spanish.