Cole Finegan, the office managing partner for Hogan Lovells, was nominated last month to become the next acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado by President Joe Biden.
Finegan is one of 25 nominees for U.S. Attorneys by the president, according to the announcement from the White House. He was nominated for the position by senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper in February.
“Cole Finegan is a tireless public servant, gifted leader and first-rate lawyer,” said Bennet in a statement. “Throughout his career, Cole has displayed tremendous judgement and integrity. All of those who have worked with him know he is compassionate, decent and committed to the rule of law.”
Hickenlooper called him a “brilliant lawyer” and said that he will be as fair, just and dedicated as the position of U.S. Attorney calls for.
The other two nominees for the position were Kristin Bronson, the City Attorney for the City and County of Denver, and Hetal Doshi, Assistant U.S. Attorney in Colorado.
Serving as the Regional Managing Partner for the Americas at the global firm Hogan Lovells, Finegan manages approximately 1,000 lawyers and staff for 11 offices.
Serving as the managing partner of the Denver office of Hogan Lovells since 2007, Finegan has had a long history in both public and private practice. He has represented clients in regulatory, land-use and development matters and legislative and public policy law.
Finegan also served as both the Denver City Attorney and Chief of Staff to Mayor John Hickenlooper before joining the firm. Under his leadership as city attorney, Finegan reorganized the office of 100 attorneys for the first time in decades and expanded the city’s abilities to try its own cases. Simultaneously, as chief of staff, he led campaigns to add a chief financial officer to the city’s staff.
During the 1990s, Finegan served as chief legal counsel and director of policy and indicatives to former Gov. Roy Romer. He handled the governor’s legal matters, advised on judicial appointments and supervised a policy development staff of over 60 people. Earlier in his career, Finegan worked in Washington, D.C. as chief legislative assistant and then chief of staff to former Oklahoma Rep. James Jones.
Starting in the 1980s, Finegan has also had a long involvement with multiple major public-private partnerships in the Denver area ranging from the redevelopments of the Stapleton Airport to Union Station. He is also involved with multiple boards, such as the I Have a Dream Foundation, and was involved in the creation of Denver’s first Family Justice Center dedicated to fighting domestic violence.
As a professional, he is well-recognized for his efforts and was the recipient of many awards throughout his career. Finegan has been named one of the best municipal law lawyers by Best Lawyers in America for 10 years, a top government relations, contracts and lobbying lawyer by 5280 every year since 2015 and one of the 500 leading lawyers by Lawdragon in 2017, just to name a few.
Finegan was named by Law Week as both the 2013 Lawyer of the Year and the Lawyer of the Decade in 2011.
“I am confident that Cole will serve as U.S Attorney for Colorado with humility and independence and I will work hard for his confirmation,” Bennet said in a statement.