EDWARDSVILLE – Jeff Cooper, who invested with Hunter Biden and currently employs Biden’s former partner Devon Archer, merged his law firm with Ethan Flint’s law firm in March.
Flint represents asbestos plaintiffs, a specialty Cooper formerly practiced as partner of John Simmons. Flint Law, ranked sixth nationally by researcher KCIC, experienced a remarkable 284% increase in asbestos filings between 2020 and 2021, from 43 to 165, due to the increase in its lung cancer cases in St. Clair County last year.
To carry out the Flint Cooper merger, one of Cooper’s companies will exchange interests with a company Flint organized in Kentucky.
Flint grew up in Kentucky and maintains an office in Paducah.
The Illinois Supreme Court admitted him in 2007.
He practiced under firm names of Saville, Evola, and Flint, Saville and Flint, Flint and Associates, and Flint Law Firm.
The Illinois registration of the former Flint Law Firm, now Flint Cooper, shows his address in Kevil, Kentucky.
He owns a Kentucky company, FLC Property Management, which assumed the name of National Rent-to-Own in 2020.
A chain of stores with that name had ceased to exist earlier that year, when its owners sold out to owners who changed it to Rent One.
Cooper earned his Illinois license in 1995.
He and Hunter Biden knew each other through their wives, who went through college as sorority sisters.
Cooper ran for Congress as a Democrat in 2000, and Republican incumbent John Shimkus defeated him by 63 to 37 percent.
In 2005, the Simmons Cooper firm began filing asbestos suits in Delaware, with Hunter’s late brother Beau Biden as local counsel.
Cooper left Simmons in 2008, and organized Eudora Global as an investment manager in Edwardsville.
From 2012 to 2014, its directors included Hunter Biden.
Cooper continued creating corporations.
According to business websites, his Citizens Rx manages pharmacy benefits and his Ocho Global develops online gaming.
Most of his corporations deal with investments.
In 2020, a week before the election, podcast host Jack Maxey said Cooper controlled the narrative in dealings with Hunter Biden.
He called Eudora Global “that company that nobody can understand the structure or how money is made.”
Doubts about Hunter Biden’s conduct didn’t prevent his father’s election.
In January 2021, Cooper organized Raefan Industries.
It owned an interest in Revere Investment Holdings, which owned 75 percent of Revere Wealth Management and an interest in Revere Securities.
At the same time, he organized Raefan Group as a law firm.
As a rule, the Illinois Supreme Court doesn’t allow corporations, associations, companies, or partnerships to practice law.
They can register to do so by accepting certain conditions and paying $50.
Registration requires the entity’s name and address, a pertinent statute, and names of shareholders, members, or partners.
It requires a statement that each shareholder, member, or partner is a member of the bar with no disciplinary action pending.
For Raefan Group, Cooper listed himself as sole manager and paid the fee.
At some point he hired Hunter Biden’s former partner Devon Archer who flies around the globe for Cooper in spite of a criminal fraud conviction.
Jurors found Archer and others guilty in 2018, on charges that they looted a tribal bond issue for personal purposes.
District Judge Ronnie Abrams of New York vacated the verdict against Archer and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated it.
Abrams set a sentencing hearing and four employees of Cooper’s companies sent letters asking for leniency.
Group XI Health chief product officer Kristopher Lakin called Archer a man of great character with a big heart.
Atomic 47 chief legal officer and current Flint Cooper attorney, Scott Wanamaker, wrote, “I have consistently found him to conduct himself in an honest, forthright and ethical manner.”
Atomic 47 chief marketing officer Callie de Quevedo wrote that Archer easily gains the trust of clients and is unfailingly warm and generous and kind.
Atomic 47 chief technology officer James Mrowka wrote that Archer got caught up in a political whirlwind.
This Feb. 28, Abrams sentenced Archer for a year.
He filed an appeal notice and moved to stay his sentence.
On March 16, Raefan Group and Flint Law Firm filed articles of merger naming Flint’s firm as surviving entity.
They identified Laci Whitley as second member of Flint Law Firm.
They filed an amendment changing the survivor’s name to Flint Cooper.
They attached a merger plan stating they transferred all rights, assets, and debts of each entity to Flint Cooper.
They agreed to litigate any dispute over terms or enforcement of the agreement in Madison County circuit court or U.S. district court.
They described a separate transaction in which Raefan Industries would contribute its interest in Revere Investment Holdings to Flint Cooper.
In exchange, Flint would contribute 20 percent of his company in Paducah.
On April 11, Abrams stayed Archer’s sentence.
In days that followed a wave of news on Hunter Biden splashed on Cooper.
On April 14, Just the News reported that in 2018, former vice president Joe Biden texted to Hunter that Cooper asked for him.
Joe texted Cooper’s number and wrote, “Wants to do some work with you.”
Just the News website called it clear evidence that Joe Biden “was not simply a passive bystander in his son’s globe trotting business pursuits.”
Just the News attached text of Hunter telling Joe, “I’m with Jeff Cooper.”
Joe replied, “Asked for you wants to do some work with you.”
All–in-1 website reported that in 2014, Cooper and Hunter communicated about a meeting in Madison County.
Cooper wrote, “Is your dad coming here?”
Hunter wrote, “To Simmons place???”