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Philip Cole Finegan II, known professionally as Cole Finegan, (born 1956) is an American lawyer who has served as the
United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...
for the District of Colorado since 2021. He served as Denver's
City Attorney A city attorney is a position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the municipality. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, who usually handles criminal cases, a city at ...
and Chief of Staff to then Denver Mayor
John Hickenlooper John Wright Hickenlooper Jr. (; born February 7, 1952) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Colorado since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 42nd governor of Colorado from 2011 to 20 ...
from 2003 through 2006. He was also the regional managing partner of the Americas for
Hogan Lovells Hogan Lovells is an American-British law firm co-headquartered in London and Washington, D.C., Washington, DC. The firm was formed in 2010 by the Mergers_and_acquisitions, merger of the American law firm Hogan & Hartson and the British law firm ...
and managing partner of the law firm's Denver office.


Early life and education

Finegan was born in
Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...
, and attended
Cascia Hall Preparatory School Cascia Hall Preparatory School is an Augustinian Roman Catholic coeducational College-preparatory day school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is a member of the Augustinian Secondary Education Association. It is one of Tulsa's two Catholic high schools, w ...
. He attended the
University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...
from 1974 to 1978, earning a degree in English. After graduating, Finegan worked full-time as Chief Legislative Aassistant and then Chief of Staff to
U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
James R. Jones James Robert Jones (born May 5, 1939) is an American lawyer, diplomat, Democratic politician, a retired U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma, and a former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico under President Bill Clinton. Jones grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma, a ...
of Oklahoma, chair of the
House Budget Committee The United States House Committee on the Budget, commonly known as the House Budget Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Its responsibilities include legislative oversight of the federal budget process, ...
. Finegan attended
Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment a ...
and graduated in 1986. He served as a member of ''The Tax Lawyer'' law review.Doyle, Patrick
"Life According to … Cole Finegan."
''5280'' magazine. April 2011.


Career


Brownstein Hyatt Farber

Tom Strickland and Andy Loewi recruited Finegan in early 1987 to join
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP is a lobbying and law firm based in the United States with 250 attorneys and policy consultants in 13 offices across the western U.S. and in Washington, D.C. History The firm was founded in 1968 by Norman Bro ...
(then Brownstein Hyatt Farber & Madden), a national law firm based in
Denver, CO Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Uni ...
. From 1993 to 2003, Finegan was a partner in the Denver office and advised on land use, regulatory, municipal, legislative, and election law.


Political

While working for Congressman Jones, Finegan managed his 1984 re-election and his bid for the
U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...
in 1986. Finegan was campaign manager for mayoral candidate Norm Early, who lost the 1991 election to
Wellington Webb Wellington E. Webb (born February 17, 1941) is an American politician. He served in the Colorado House of Representatives and was the first African American mayor of Denver, Colorado, serving from 1991 to 2003. Early life and career The Webb fam ...
. From 1991 to 1993, Finegan served both as Chief Legal Counsel and Director of Policy and Initiatives for
Colorado Governor The governor of Colorado is the head of government of the U.S. state of Colorado. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The governor has the power to either ...
Roy Romer Roy Rudolf Romer (born October 31, 1928) is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Colorado from 1987 to 1999, and subsequently as the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District from 2000 to 2006. Family and ed ...
. Finegan acted as an adviser to Governor Hickenlooper and
U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...
Michael Bennet Michael Farrand Bennet (born November 28, 1964) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Colorado, a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, he was appointed t ...
, and served as finance chair for Bennet's 2016 re-election campaign and was a co-chair of Hickenlooper's re-election campaign.Gardner, Natasha; Hatlestad, Luc, and Potter, Maximillian
"The 5280 50."
''5280'' magazine. December 2011.
He was one of four Colorado finance co-chairs for President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
's 2012 re-election campaign.


Hogan Lovells

Finegan joined
Hogan Lovells Hogan Lovells is an American-British law firm co-headquartered in London and Washington, D.C., Washington, DC. The firm was formed in 2010 by the Mergers_and_acquisitions, merger of the American law firm Hogan & Hartson and the British law firm ...
(then Hogan & Hartson) in 2007 as a partner. He became managing partner of Hogan Lovells' Denver office in May 2007, and focused his practice on public-private partnerships, regulatory issues, land use and development, and legislative and public policy law. In May 2013, Finegan was elected to the Hogan Lovells board as the representative for the Americas (excluding Washington, D.C.)."Hogan Lovells Elects Cole Finegan and Dan González to Its Board."
''The Lawyer''. May 8, 2013.
Finegan was engaged in the development of L.C. Fulenwider Company's Aviation Station at 61st Avenue near Denver International Airport."Denver Chooses Airport Station."
''The Denver Post''. August 21, 2012.
Finegan was selected as a "Lawyer of the Decade" by ''Law Week Colorado'';Masich, Matt. “Lawyers of the Decade.” ''Law Week Colorado''. March 14, 2011, volume 9, number 11. as Lawyer of the Year 2013; and was also named one of the most influential people in Denver by ''5280'' magazine."Kelly Brough Meets Her Match at 'I Have a Dream’ Roast.'"
''The Colorado Statesman''. October 11, 2011.


U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado

On September 28, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Finegan to be the
United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...
for the District of Colorado. On November 4, 2021, his nomination was reported out of committee by
voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding v ...
. On November 19, 2021, his nomination was confirmed by the
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and ...
via
voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding v ...
. He was sworn into office on December 1, 2021, by Judge Christine Arguello.


Affiliations

Finegan served on the board of directors of the Downtown Denver Partnership,"Downtown Denver Partnership Outlines Six Priorities for Coming Year."
''The Denver Post''. July 18, 2012.
Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce,"2012-2013 Board of Directors"
Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
The Children's Hospital,
Children’s Hospital Colorado. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
The Denver Foundation,"People on the Move."
''The Colorado Springs Business Journal''. February 10, 2012.
Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce,"People on the Move."
''Denver Business Journal''. September 13, 2010.
and Teach for America."Advisory Board."
Teach for America. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
He also served as a member of the Colorado Forum, Quarterly Forum, and Economic Club of Denver."Members."
The Economic Club of Colorado. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
Finegan served on the Denver Public Schools Foundation board of directors"Hogan Lovells’ Chief Cole Finegan Is a Guest Bartender Tonight."
''Law Week Colorado''. Retrieved July 7, 2010.
and is also a past member of the Colorado I Have A Dream Foundation board of directors,
The Denver Post. September 10, 2003.
the Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado board of directors,"Campaign Volunteers."
Legal Aid Foundation. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
the State Board of Agriculture, the State Board of Colleges, the Auraria Higher Education Center board, the Rocky Mountain Mutual Housing Association board, and the Greater Denver Corporation board."Mayor Hickenlooper Announces Executive Staff Changes."
Office of Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock. September 26, 2006.


References


External links


Biography at U.S. Department of Justice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finegan, Cole 1956 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers Georgetown University Law Center alumni Lawyers from Tulsa, Oklahoma People associated with Hogan Lovells United States Attorneys for the District of Colorado Notre Dame College of Arts and Letters alumni