Alumni Spotlight: Cole Bollman ’16, ’19L Cole Bollman is an associate in the Corporate, Finance and Investments practice group at King & Spalding LLP in Atlanta.

Cole Bollman ’16, ’19L and Family

Cole Bollman ’16, ‘19L was born in Tallahassee, Florida, but spent half of his childhood in San Diego, California. Cole graduated from Washington and Lee University in 2016, where he majored in Religion and was very involved on campus and in the Lexington community. Cole could not get enough of W&L, so he returned for law school. In law school, Cole was a summer associate with Balch & Bingham LLP, Maynard Nexsen PC, Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC in Birmingham, Alabama, and King & Spalding LLP in Atlanta, Georgia. Cole currently works as an associate in the Corporate, Finance and Investments practice group at King & Spalding LLP in Atlanta. Outside of work, Cole enjoys spending time with his family, mountain biking, and training bird dogs.

Discuss your career path and how it led you to working at King & Spalding.

I was not sold on Big Law when entering law school. I am the first lawyer in my family, and I entered law school with an open mind about potential opportunities post-graduation. Out of all my classes, I was most drawn to and interested in my corporate focused courses (which is funny given I majored in religion in undergrad and had limited business/finance exposure heading into law school). Given my interest in my corporate courses, I pursued several different summer associate opportunities at law firms with corporate practices to get exposure to this area of the law (and to determine whether law firm life was for me).

As a summer associate at several firms in Birmingham and Atlanta during my 1L and 2L summers, I had the opportunity to rotate through different corporate practice groups, which helped me get a feel for the different transactional areas. It was also very helpful to get a glimpse of what law firm life would be like on a longer-term basis. I loved the sophistication of work and fast-paced environment of all the firms I worked at during my summers.

Out of all the corporate areas I was exposed to during my summers, M&A and private funds were the most interesting to me, which, in addition to the great people and general sophistication of work, is what led me to King & Spalding LLP (K&S).

What sort of legal issues do you handle on a day-to-day basis?

I represent private equity clients in their formation of investment partnerships, in their merger and acquisition deals (roll ups) and in connection with GP-led secondary transactions. I also advise clients on the formation and disposition of joint ventures related to the acquisition and development of real estate, data centers, and other assets.

What do you like about your current job?

My favorite things about K&S are the people, the sophistication of work, and the exposure I get to different businesses each day. I feel very supported by the entire K&S team both professionally and personally. My wife and I foster children and some of the first people to come by to drop off food and clothes for new placements are the partners and associates that I work with at K&S. The partners I work with are also very understanding when a family matter comes up that conflicts with work obligations. Those partners also allowed me to be client facing as a young associate and gave me opportunities early in my career to draft substantive documents and lead client calls. On the substantive work front, I always feel stretched and challenged by the work we do for clients and enjoy the exposure I get to different businesses. No two days are the same and it is exciting to be an advocate and advisor for our clients.

What are some practices you have in your daily life as an attorney to maintain wellness?

During the week, I try to always make it home by ~5:30pm and unplug from work around 8:30pm. I usually log back on to respond to emails or move documents, but I think it’s important to have that pause to spend time with family and take a mental break. I also try to exercise regularly, preferably outside (it’s hard to look out the window all day at the nice weather and never get to enjoy it!). I also work to make time for my hobbies.

Which W&L classes and/or experiences do you think were most helpful in preparing you for this job? 

I believe Contracts, Business Associations, the Business Immersion course, and Sales classes prepared me the most for this job. I wish I had taken the Accounting for Lawyers and Tax classes offered by W&L, but I generally felt very prepared following graduation.

What advice do you have for prospective law students?

I would tell prospective law students to always make time for the things that are most important to them and that will “fill their cup back up.” Law school and being a lawyer can be challenging, but it’s easy to burn out if you aren’t making time for the things that you enjoy the most in life. It’s important to work hard in school and after you graduate, but don’t forget to make time to have fun, too!

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