As a young child growing up in the coal country of Appalachia, Raleigh personal injury lawyer Sean Cole was influenced by the books his father read to him, including “Lord of the Rings” and “The Chronicles of Narnia.”
“The central theme of a lot of the stories he read to me was that people who care about each other and care about the places they live, will stand up for people who can’t stand up and fight for themselves. That’s a type of friendship and concern for others that makes the world a better place,” said Cole.
“Of course, I’d rather be some kind of superhero or an astronaut because it’s a way of doing for others, and that’s what I believe in. But I’ve got no superpowers and I’m too tall for the space capsules, so I chose the law.”
A Place in the Courtroom
The son of a public school teacher and radio station manager, Cole grew up in tiny Buchanan County, Virginia. “People in the mountains are close-knit. You spend time with your cousins, friends, neighbors, and family and your churches. I saw both wonderful and terrible things and saw the effects on my friends and cousins.”
Cole graduated from high school as class valedictorian and obtained his Eagle Scout rank in the Boy Scouts. He graduated from King University in Bristol, Tennessee, with a degree in history. He earned his Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University School of Law.
He has been a personal injury attorney in Raleigh for 25 years, working on catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. He has handled over 2,000 cases and recovered or helped to recover millions of dollars for his clients.
Cole is now running for Superior Court Judge in Wake County as a Democrat. His opponent is incumbent Judge Rebecca Water Holt, a Republican.
“People get really frustrated with judicial candidates,” said Cole. “Because I can’t say, ‘Here’s what I would do with abortion; here’s what I would do with education issues; here’s what I would do with a murder trial. Both because we’re prohibited from talking about it and cases are always a little different. There’s always something at the heart of the issue that needs to be examined.
“Everybody has a place in the courthouse,” Cole continued. “Everyone deserves representation. If someone comes to court and knows that they [committed a crime], one of the cornerstones of our system still entitles them to due process: it protects us all. I want to stand up for people who can’t stand up for themselves, and for the system that protects us all.
“And when you come to [court], you should know that you may be in for a very tough ride, but you have protections,” Cole said. “There are laws as to what the state can and can’t do to you. When we follow those, we live up to the best ideals of what’s in our state and federal constitutions. The whole idea of democracy is to try to have a system where problems can be resolved fairly and peacefully.”
In North Carolina, superior court judges hear civil and criminal cases and appeals that come from district courts. They can range from contract disputes to personal injury cases valued over $25,000 to murder.
“When a case comes before me, I’m gonna try to look at it and say, ‘what is really going on,’ what do I need to do here?” explained Cole.
“I don’t think judges know everything. I will say to the attorneys, ‘educate me on this.’ I’m going to listen to the lawyers. I’m going to do my own research. My hope is to be able to work with the lawyers that come in front of me.”
Joy and Fulfillment
Cole and his wife, Sharon, have been married for 17 years. We conducted this interview while Cole was driving their 16-year-old daughter, Holiday, to the orthodontist.
“More than any job, from the time I was a little kid, I wanted to be a great father and a great husband. I was lucky and blessed to have examples of that from my father and my maternal grandfather,” said Cole.
“When I get the chance to travel with my family to the National Parks, or go to a concert, or just have dinner on our back deck, those are the things that bring me joy and fulfillment.”
The Smell of Greasepaint
Every fall, Cole is enticed by the roar of the crowd and the smell of the greasepaint. He is the lead writer for the Wake County Bar Awards comedy revue, think Mad Magazine meets Gilbert & Sullivan. The show raises money for Legal Aid of North Carolina.
Cole is usually the ringmaster. His regular cast of comedy performers is joined by a crackerjack band of lawyers and singers aping colleagues and the courts with songs like “Tweet of the Moment” (Heat of the Moment) and “Checks and Balances” (Something Just Like This).
“I love the Bar Awards because I know how important Legal Aid is. Last year we finally passed the million-dollar mark in funds raised, but that took us over a decade,” said Cole.
“I have friends who work for Legal Aid, and I’m perpetually in awe of them and their commitment to other people and our communities. Plus, let’s be honest, I love the folks that I work with for that project. Our band and singers are all top-notch, and the lawyers who work on the committee are always great to meet and befriend.”
For his volunteer legal work, Cole was inducted into the North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society in 2017-2021 and 2023.
Creativity in the Courtroom
In addition to writing for the WCBA awards, Cole plays several instruments and sings in his church choir. “I think creativity outside the courtroom can drive creativity IN the courtroom. I think we’re in an era where inspiration and creativity can bring us back to faith in our courts and better, fairer day for our society,” said Cole.
“There is a lot of division in the country, and it’s because so many people are frustrated with where they are politically, where they are economically, where they have been socially, and they want some answers. We’re going to see change in the next 15-20 years, and I really want to be part of it.”
