Cole, Merritt A.

Current Employment Position(s)

PartnerBusiness Department

Lawyer Overview

Mr. Cole is a partner in the Business Department and Chair of the Securities Law Practice Group.  He has extensive experience in securities and corporate matters, including transactional matters (public and private securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital investments and control contests), Securities and Exchange Commission reporting and compliance, and corporate governance.  Mr. Cole represents a broad range of business clients, including development-stage companies, publicly-held companies and financial institutions, including broker-dealers, investment advisers and banks.  He devotes a substantial portion of his time to counseling boards of directors, audit committees and compensation committees on Sarbanes-Oxley and other corporate and regulatory matters.

Before entering private practice, Mr. Cole worked with the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C., where he served as a Branch Chief in the Division of Market Regulation.  Prior to moving to Philadelphia, he practiced with Shearman & Sterling in New York City.

Mr. Cole's on-going professional activities presently include serving as a member of:

• the Pennsylvania Securities Commission's Attorney Advisory Committee;
• the Planning Committee for the ABA's Annual Business Bar Leaders Conference; and
• the Advisory Panel of the Business Lawyers' Institute, sponsored annually by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute.

In 2003, Mr. Cole served as Chair of the Business Law Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association; he served on the Executive Committee of the Section from 1999 through 2005.  He has also served as Chair of the Securities Regulation Committee of the Business Law Section.  Mr. Cole has taught Advanced Corporate Practice and Securities Regulation at Rutgers School of Law and Advanced Topics in Securities Regulation at Temple University Law School.  He also lectures frequently on securities law matters and has served as an arbitrator and expert witness in securities proceedings.  His civic and charitable activities include having served for many years on the Steering Committee of Law Works, the pro bono community business arm of Philadelphia VIP, and assisting Habitat for Humanity in its housing renovation efforts in Camden, NJ.

Mr. Cole received his B.A., cum laude, from Yale University and his J.D., with Honors, from the University of Connecticut School of Law, where he was Associate Editor of the Law Review.  He is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania and New York, and is admitted to appear before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  Mr. Cole has been AV rated by the Martindale-Hubbell peer review rating system.      

Areas of Practice

• Securities
• Corporate
• Bankruptcy & Insolvency
• Public Finance
• E-Commerce

West Practice Categories

Securities Law, Business Organizations, Bankruptcy Law, Public Finance, Electronic Commerce

Bar Admissions

• Pennsylvania, 1976
• New York, 1981
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1984

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Philadelphia Bar Association (Member)
• Pennsylvania Bar Association (Member)
• New York State Bar (Member)
• American Bar Association (Member)

Classes and Seminars

• Adjunct Lecturer, Advanced Topics in Securities Regulation, Temple University School of Law, 1994
• Adjunct Lecturer, Securities Regulation, Rutgers School of Law-Camden, 1991 - 1994
• Adjunct Lecturer, Banking Regulation, Rutgers School of Law-Camden, 1991
• Adjunct Lecturer, Business Planning, Rutgers School of Law-Camden, 1989 - 1990
• Adjunct Lecturer, Business Law, Rutgers University School of Business, 1988
• Adjunct Lecturer, Business Associations, George Mason University School of Law, 1978
• Adjunct Lecturer, Securities Regulation, Temple University School of Law, 1992

Past Employment Positions

• United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Division of Market Regulation, Branch Chief, 1977 - 1978
• United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Division of Market Regulation, Staff Attorney, 1975 - 1977

Education

• University of Connecticut School of Law, Hartford, Connecticut, 1975
  J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence
  Honors: With Honors
  Law Review: Member, University of Connecticut Law Review, 1973 - 1975
• Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 1972
  B.A., Bachelor of Arts
  Honors: cum laude
  Honors: Departmental Honors in Philosophy

Address

One Liberty Place
Suite 1800
1650 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-7395

Phones

215-864-7018

Faxes

215-789-7589

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.whiteandwilliams.com