Faith & Leadership with Thomas A. Cole
One of our very own, Tom Cole is a member at Kenilworth Union Church. Currently, he is senior counsel and chair emeritus of the executive committee of Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago. Tom has led seminars on corporate governance at both the University of Chicago and Harvard law schools. Tom will present Corporate Social Responsibility: Perspectives of a Christian Corporate Lawyer in the Culbertson Room on Monday, November 4 at 7 p.m. For more information please contact the Reverend Dr. Jo Forrest.
THOMAS A. COLE is Senior Counsel and Chair Emeritus of the Executive Committee of Sidley Austin LLP. He joined the firm upon graduation from The University of Chicago Law School in 1975 and became a partner in 1981. He retired from the full-time practice of law at the end of 2016 but continues to consult with colleagues and clients.
Mr. Cole focuses his practice on public company mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. He has been influential in his work and presented with many awards as in 2001 he was recognized by Chambers Global as one of the 26 U.S. lawyers included in its list of the “Global 100 Lawyers”—“lawyers who stand out from their colleagues and are recognized internationally.”
Corporate governance assignments have included advising public company boards and their standing and special committees on a variety of subjects, including internal investigations, CEO succession, shareholder activism and proxy contests. He has taught the seminar on corporate governance at The University of Chicago Law School and his book, CEO Leadership: Navigating the New Era in Corporate Governance will be released by The University of Chicago Press in November 2019.
He has been involved in approximately 60 announced public company mergers, spin-offs, and takeover defenses, the majority of which were valued in excess of $1 billion.
Mr. Cole has been active in many civic, charitable, and professional organizations. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of The University of Chicago. He served as Chairman of the Boards of Northwestern Memorial Healthcare and Hospital. He is a former co-chair of the Tulane Corporate Law Institute and former chair of Northwestern’s Garrett Corporate and Securities Law Institute. In recognition of his initiatives in promoting diversity in the legal profession, he received the inaugural Thurgood Marshall Legacy Award in 2015.