John Cohan, 70; Estate Planning Attorney Wrote on Living Trusts

John R. Cohan, 70, an estate planning attorney who wrote a textbook showing other lawyers how to draft living trusts, died Dec. 29 in Las Vegas of complications following a heart attack.

Cohan, who practiced with the Los Angeles-based firm Irell & Manella from 1955 until his retirement in 1994, wrote several books and articles on personal financial planning and taxation. Best known among his colleagues was “Drafting California Irrevocable Trusts and California Revocable Living Trusts.”

A lecturer at USC School of Law and the University of Miami School of Law, Cohan also chaired USC’s annual Tax Institute from 1984 to 1995. In his law practice, Cohan represented several celebrities, including Kirk Douglas and Diana Ross.

Born in Arnhem, the Netherlands, he escaped with his family to England after Nazis overtook his country, and later came to the United States. He was educated at the University of Arizona and Stanford Law School. In Los Angeles, he served on the city’s Advisory Panel on Ethical Standards for Charities and was active in Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America and Jewish Big Brothers.