James M. Cole

James M. Cole

James Michael Cole (* 2. May 1952 in Evanston , Illinois ) is an American lawyer who until January 8, 2015 of 29 December 2010, the Office of the Deputy Attorney General ( Deputy US Attorney General exercised).

Life

After attending school, Cole first studied at the University of Colorado Boulder , where he earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in 1975 . A subsequent postgraduate study of law at the Hastings College of the Law of the University of California , he graduated in 1979 with a Juris Doctor (JD).

Cole first met in 1979 in the US Justice Department and was there 13 years worked, first as a trial attorney in the Department of Criminal Law ( Criminal Division ), and then deputy director of the local subdivision of disciplinary law . There he dealt with investigations and charges relating to corruption proceedings against employees of the public administration and led several important proceedings there, such as against a judge at a US district court , a member of the US House of Representatives and a US attorney .

After leaving the Ministry of Justice, he joined a law firm in 1992 and was most recently a partner at Bryan Cave LLP from 1995 to 2010 , where he specialized in white-collar crime proceedings . He also worked for a large insurance company as an independent observer in legal proceedings, thereby establishing and reviewing conciliation programs and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations. He also advised various companies on securities , articles of association and criminal proceedings.

During that time, Cole also served as a special advisor to the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct . In that role, he led an investigation into allegations that House Speaker Newt Gingrich improperly used tax-exempt funds for party political purposes and misrepresented the committee in its investigation. Cole's investigation resulted in a resolution passed by an overwhelming majority in the entire US Congress . In addition, there was a formal reprimand against Gingrich and the demand for fines.

During his practice as a lawyer, Cole was also an associate professor at the Georgetown University Legal Center , lecturing on public corruption and legal ethics . He also served as a lecturer at the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University worked and was involved as Chairman of the Committee on Economic Crime Unit of the American Bar Association (ABA) and as chairman of the criminal department of the organization.

On December 29, 2010, he was appointed by US President Barack Obama to succeed David W. Ogden as Deputy US Attorney General and was confirmed by the US Senate on June 28, 2011, 55 to 42 in this office .

Web links

• Official biography on the US Department of Justice home page (accessed May 15, 2012)