“You love to argue, you should be a lawyer.”
Yannick Cools heard this sentiment more times than he cared to count growing up in South Jersey. With a scientist-turned-teacher for a mother and an engineer for a stepfather, there was no lawyer in the family — until he decided to change that.
While attending Hofstra University on Long Island, New York, Yannick discovered his calling after watching the Netflix documentary “Making a Murderer.” The criminal defense attorneys in that documentary inspired him. He wanted to be one of them.
After graduating college, Yannick enrolled at Widener University Delaware Law School. On his very first day, when asked what type of law he wanted to practice, his answer was simple: Criminal Defense. That focus never wavered. During law school, Yannick won Best Overall Advocate while representing his school at a Mock Trial Competition in Pittsburgh — competing against more than 60 law students from across the country.
After graduating law school in 2020, Yannick moved to Kansas to serve as a Public Defender in Wichita — Kansas’ largest city — where he handled all types of felony cases ranging from drug possession to serious criminal offenses and litigated over 500 cases. That experience gave him a unique and fresh perspective on criminal defense that he now brings to New Jersey.
Yannick Cools is committed to representing clients of the Law Office of Matthew V. Portella, LLC not only as defendants, but as people.
Education:
- J.D. Widener University Delaware Law School 2020
- B.A. Hofstra University