Impression: Cade R. Cole

When Cade Cole (L ’08) walked the halls of Tulane Law School nearly two decades ago, he found himself interested in Louisiana’s unique civil law tradition and was all in. “I was from Louisiana, and I really cared about the issues here in Louisiana, and so I really enjoyed the professors and the classes in the civilian tradition,” said Cole.

That early interest has culminated in Cole achieving one of the highest honors in Louisiana’s legal community: a seat on the Louisiana Supreme Court.

Elected from a district covering all of western Louisiana, now Justice Cole took office in March, and at 41, he is the youngest of seven justices on the state’s highest court. He is enjoying his role, cognizant of the weight and importance of the work.

“At the Supreme Court there is never a dull moment,” he said. “We have a wide variety of issues from criminal law to civil law to some of the most complex constitutional questions. I love the complexity and variety.”

Cole brings a broad range of experience and a commitment to public service to the bench. His legal path — marked by versatility, innovation and a focus on improving access to justice — has earned him respect across the state’s legal and political spectrum.

A native of the small town of DeQuincy, Cole’s interest in public service began early. While still in high school, he worked as a student assistant at the state legislature, getting a firsthand look at government in action. Cole also earned his undergraduate degree from Tulane, and his wife, Rebekah, graduated from the Tulane School of Engineering in 2004.

Cole attended Tulane Law in the difficult times immediately following Hurricane Katrina. “We compressed the whole first year into less than six months, there were longer days than usual and weekend classes. It was baptism by fire,” he said.

Cole’s legal career began with a prestigious clerkship for Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jeannette T. Knoll, whose seat he now holds. He then entered private practice in Lake Charles, handling complex business and tax litigation, and serving as appellate counsel on a wide array of cases. He also held several public legal roles, including assistant district attorney, city attorney for the towns of Sulphur and Vinton and city magistrate.

Cole became a board-certified tax law specialist and chaired the Board of Legal Specialization’s Tax Law Advisory Commission. He also trained as a mediator at Pepperdine University’s Straus Institute, going on to mediate more than 1,500 cases.

Cole later became Louisiana’s first Tax Court judge. In the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, Cole was appointed by federal and state judges as a Special Master, tasked with designing and implementing the program to efficiently manage over 10,000 legal claims.

Cole ran for the Supreme Court seat on a platform centered on transparency, efficiency and expanding access to justice. Reflecting on his time at Tulane Law, Cole encouraged current students to embrace the academic challenges.

“Be diligent about your studies,” he said. “You never know what knowledge you’ll need later. I’ve often found myself grateful that I took a wide variety of courses. It wasn’t my focus then, but I use constitutional criminal procedure every day in this job. And enjoy learning — it’s one of the reasons I love this job. I’m still learning every day.”