NCAJ is losing a longtime member, but North Carolinians are gaining a judge on January 1, 2025. Sean Cole is passionate about service, his two constituents – the public and the Constitution – and the law. Also about having a sense of humor.

Sean visits host Amber Nimocks for a retrospective on the various turns his life has taken. Twenty-four years ago, he was invited to interview for a plaintiffs’ firm but needed a friend to dig his car out of a snow drift so he could make the appointment. This year, he received a call asking him to run for the bench at the same time he was mulling where the next road would take him. “I really like wearing robes to work,” he jokes.

Name: Sean Cole, judge-elect for Judicial District 10C of the North Carolina 3rd Superior Court Division.

[01:51] Interesting Tidbits: NCAJ’s member database has a treasure trove of information about Sean, such as his description of his meeting space: broad, open savannahs and mangrove swamps.

[04:39] Encouragement and Inspiration: Sean celebrates the opportunities he enjoyed and relationships he built during his involvement with NCAJ.

[08:56] Money: That’s Sean’s answer to a question that voters frequently asked him: What’s the biggest problem facing the judicial system?

[14:56] Road to Damascus: Sean stepped away from defense to the plaintiff’s side after realizing that, if he did a good job on defense, someone who was hurt would either get less than they should or perhaps nothing at all.

[25:21] Rules, Loopholes, Norms: Borrowing from Jon Stewart on The Daily Show, Sean places the judge’s role in the context of these three concepts in government.

[27:54] Access: As a judge, Sean can’t give legal advice, but he can – and plans to – make himself available to the community, for example, at meetings, civic groups, or speaking engagements.

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Voices of NCAJ features members of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice talking about what it means to be a trial lawyer, what it takes to be great at the practice of law and how being a part of NCAJ enriches their lives and their careers.

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