President Obama Announces His Intent to Nominate James M. Cole as Deputy Attorney General

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate James M. Cole as Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice.

President Obama said, “James brings with him exceptional experience, both as a lawyer in private practice and as a government official with over a decade of service at the Department of Justice. The American people will be well served by his integrity and commitment to the law. I’m grateful he’s agreed to take on this important role, and I look forward to working with him.”

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key administration post:

James M. Cole, Nominee for Deputy Attorney General, Department of Justice
James Cole has been a partner with Bryan Cave LLP since 1995.  His practice includes counseling corporations on compliance, securities, regulatory, and criminal law issues, as well as representation of corporations and individuals before grand juries, in congressional hearings, in court proceedings, and before federal agencies.  He was an official with the United States Department of Justice for 13 years before entering private practice in 1992, serving as the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section during his last three years.  In 1992 he was also appointed to be a member of President Clinton’s Transition Team reviewing aspects of the Department of Justice.  Mr. Cole has been a member of the adjunct faculty at Georgetown University Law Center, teaching courses on public corruption law and legal ethics, and has lectured at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.  He was the former chair of the ABA White Collar Crime Committee and is currently the First Vice-Chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section.  He received his B.A. from the University of Colorado and his J.D. from the University of California-Hastings.