Fireside Chat with James Cole, former U.S. Deputy Attorney General and CU Denver Political Science Alumni
Wednesday, November 20 4-5:30pm (MST) on Zoom: https://ucdenver.zoom.us/j/96639973363
Students, come join us for an online fireside chat with James Michael Cole. Mr. Cole earned his BA degree from CU Denver in Political Science and his law degree from Hastings College of Law.
Cole served as the Deputy Attorney General of the United States from January 2011 until January 2015. The Deputy Attorney General is the number two official in the US Department of Justice and is the direct supervisor of all components in the Department, including all United States Attorneys, all litigating and policy components at Main Justice, as well as the FBI, DEA, ATF, and the Bureau of prisons. While serving as the Deputy AG, Cole was the author of the influential 2013 “Cole Memorandum” which set out new priorities for federal prosecutors on prosecutions of cases involving marijuana
After graduating from law school, Cole went to work for the Department of Justice. He served for 13 years in the Department of Justice as a trial attorney in the Criminal Division, and later as the Deputy Chief of the Division's Public Integrity Section, the office that handles investigation and prosecution of corruption cases against public officials and employees at all levels of government. At Public Integrity Mr. Cole tried a number of notable cases, including prosecution of a U.S. District Judge, a member of Congress, and a federal prosecutor.
In private practice, Cole specialized in white collar defenses and served as a court-appointed independent monitor for the large insurance company, AIG, to establish and oversee corporate compliance programs and ensure it adhered to laws and regulations. He also counseled businesses on securities, regulatory, and criminal law issues. While in private practice in 1995, Mr. Cole was picked to serve as Special Counsel to the House Ethics Committee. In that role, he led an investigation into allegations that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich had improperly used tax-exempt money for partisan purposes and misled the Committee in its inquiry. His investigation led to a bipartisan resolution that was approved by an overwhelming majority of the full House and resulted in a formal reprimand of Speaker Gingrich and a requirement that he pay penalties.
Mr. Cole wants to have a broad interactive discussion, with plenty of questions from students, about careers in law, the state of the profession, and the ways in which young people interested in politics can be involved professionally and personally in state and national life.
For questions or if you have trouble logging on, contact Professor Omar Swartz Omar.swartz@ucdenver.edu