Cody Lee Cofer

Cody Cofer is a master of the courtroom. His trial skills have helped thousands of clients get justice. He has been practicing criminal law for more than 16 years. Along the way, he worked as a prosecutor and a federal public defender. His defense style is characterized by imagination and ferocity. As a result of his experience and reputation, he serves as a law professor and is booked throughout Texas to speak to other criminal law attorneys. His cases have been featured on 20/20, Dateline, Snapped, and many other legal news and entertainment programs.

He has obtained dismissals from prosecutors, “No Bills” from grand juries, acquittals from juries, and reversals from appeals courts. He knows the power of a lie can destroy lives, and he is determined to stop that destruction from happening to his clients.

He practices in Texas state courts and federal courts:

US Supreme Court

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals

Texas Eastern District Court

Texas Northern District Court

Texas Western District Court

Texas Southern District Court

Board Certified by Texas Board of Legal Specialization

After five years of practice Cody Cofer became Board Certified in Criminal Law. To become Board Certified, a lawyer must have extensive trial and appellate experience. Once a lawyer accumulates the required experience then the lawyer must receive recommendations from judges and other lawyers. Upon submission of these qualifications to the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS) the application is reviewed. If the lawyer meets the objective experience qualifications then the Board allows the attorney to sit for the specialization exam. The Specialization Exam is often said to be harder than the Bar Exam. So, you can see, Board Certification Matters. This sets Cody Cofer apart from most other Fort Worth criminal attorneys.

Partner | Cofer Luster Criminal Defense Lawyers | 2018-present

Cody partnered with his trusted friend and colleague James Luster to found Cofer Luster Criminal Defense Lawyers. The two criminal trial lawyers met at the beginning of their careers at a training event commonly called “Baby Prosecutor School.” At the time, Cody was a prosecutor in Henderson County and James a prosecutor in Lubbock. As they matured as lawyers, first as prosecutors and then as defense attorneys, they remained close and realized they had shared values and complementing styles. Now they have teamed up to provide elite level service in criminal defense.

Assistant Federal Public Defender | Northern District of Texas | 2016-2018

As an Assistant Federal Public Defender, Cody Cofer had the opportunity to represent clients in more federal cases than most non-AFPD lawyers would in an entire career. During his time at the FPD, he developed a reputation as the go-to trial attorney for the Northern District of Texas. He tried multiple cases in Fort Worth and Dallas. He received the highest quality training and education from the nation’s best federal defense lawyers. He also served as the co-coordinator for the FPD Criminal Justice Act Panel continuing legal education seminar directed by the FPD’s Office. Now, he has taken his experience, skill and talent back into private practice.

Managing Partner | Cofer Law, P.C. | 2011-2016

In 2011, Cody moved to Fort Worth to open his own law practice. He began practicing both criminal defense and family law. Although he already had advanced trial experience from prosecuting, Cody knew he needed to get into the courtroom to try cases as a criminal defense attorney. So, he volunteered his time to sit as second chair with many established Fort Worth criminal attorneys. Soon, Cody had a long list of felony trials including murders, sexual assaults, and a variety of other charges. Besides his volunteer trial experience, Cody was building an impressive resume of his own complex criminal defense trials and appeals. All of the hard work has paid off. Now, Cody Cofer is Board Certified in Criminal Law, and he manages one of the most well-respected boutique criminal defense law firms in the State.

Prosecutor | Henderson County, Texas | 2009-2011

Before becoming a Fort Worth criminal attorney, Cody Cofer worked as a prosecutor. To develop trial experience early in his career Cody joined the Henderson County Attorney’s Office to prosecute criminal cases. He tried a long list of cases included DWIs, Assault Family Violence, Felony Drug Possession, and other cases. Aside from the experience in the courtroom in front of juries, Cody was able to prosecute several appeals. This led to arguing before intermediate appellate courts and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. The greatest benefit received from working in the County Attorney’s Office was the mentoring of several great lawyers and friends, including Sam Hicks (First Assistant County Attorney) and Brian Schmidt (Defense Attorney).

Texas Tech School of Law | Doctor of Jurisprudence

Cody Cofer obtained his Doctor of Jurisprudence from Texas Tech University School of Law. During his time as a law student represented the Law School in national mock trial competitions. He also served as an editor on the Administrative Law Journal. As a third-year law student he served as the Board of Barristers Vice-Chair of Mock Trial. In this position he helped manage the mock trial program and school competitions. He received several awards for his mock trial performance, including the J. Edgar Hadley Award, American Jurisprudence Award in Trial Advocacy, and the prestigious Order of the Barrister.

Texas Tech University | Masters in Business Administration

While at Texas Tech for law school, Cody also obtained a Masters Degree in Business Administration. This was a great opportunity to develop further communication skills and project management experience. Unlike law school, business school requires students to work in teams. Effective management of teams is invaluable skill set for defending complex criminal cases. Also, the education related to statistics and data management provided a base for handling criminal cases based on reliable data, rather than mere intuition. As an example, jury selection has traditionally been guided by “feel” rather than classifying important information about prospective jurors.

Baylor University | Bachelor of Arts

For his undergraduate degree Cody attended Baylor University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication. This is the study of messages and their meanings. He received extensive education in persuasive communication, nonverbal communication, and small group decision-making. Selecting this area to study was prompted by Cody’s love for the excitement of public speaking. However, it has proved to be perfectly suited for becoming a trial lawyer. Aside from studying, Cody worked in law offices and the service industry. Cody was selected as a “Bullock Scholar.” Greater detail about this honor and experience is listed above.