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Cole Civil Rights and Safe Schools Consulting
Attorney Richard W. Cole offers clients high-quality, personalized legal assistance and consulting services. He brings decades of exceptional success, broad experience and unique skills as principal of Cole Civil Rights and Safe Schools Consulting, as former Assistant Attorney General and Civil Rights Division Chief in the Massachusetts Office of Attorney General, as a private practice civil rights litigator and as a legal services litigator and manager.

Cole Civil Rights Consulting and Legal Services in:

• K-12 Education
• Higher Education
• Police & Law Enforcement
• Employment Discrimination
• Housing Discrimination

Education Consulting: Voluntary Resolution Agreements

Cole Civil Rights and Safe Schools Consulting provides expert assistance to school districts to navigate successfully the complex requirements of Voluntary Resolution Agreements with the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education.

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Available Now!

"COLE FACTS SYSTEM:
ROADMAP FOR SCHOOL INVESTIGATIONS"

A Comprehensive System of Practical

Checklists, Forms and Guidance Manual for Schools

Click for Information on "Cole Facts System"

Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) presents Cole Facts System, p. 5, MASC Bulletin, June 2012.

	Upcoming Cole Workshops & Programs
	For 2024-2025 School Year Providing professional development and training to promote equity and a positive school climate and culture, build needed systems and practical skills and strategies for effectively meeting the requirements of federal and state rights laws and state bullying laws.   MORE » Learn what participants say about Cole Workshops and Programs! »

Services

Independent Investigations

Compliance Monitoring

Individual Counseling

Systemic Counseling

Prevention Training

Investigation Training

Risk Management Audits

Litigation Assessments

Litigation Assistance

Litigation Co-Counseling

Advocacy

Cole in the News

American Bar Association adopts Cole-drafted resolution on conviction integrity at its 2025 Mid-Year meeting.               ABA Adopts MBA-Backed Resolution on Conviction Integrity, Feb. 2025 (MassBar eJournal)

Cole Co-Chairs Massachusetts' conviction integrity initiative from 2018-2025, on behalf of the Massachusetts Bar Association ("MBA"). MBA Innocence and Conviction Integrity Initiatives, which includes the MBA's 2021 publication of its landmark Guide, titled, "Conviction Integrity Programs: Guide to Best Practices for Prosecutorial Offices."

Cole receives the Massachusetts Bar Association's 2018 "Volunteer Recognition Award" for "helping to establish the MBA as a thought leader in the areas of immigrant rights and criminal justice reform."

Boston Public Schools announces on 8/3/16 that Cole, with Visions, Inc., issued their "Racial Climate Assessment Report of Boston Latin School," based on their 'Racial Climate Audit.'

U.S. DOE praises Cole's efforts as consultant for District under extensive Voluntary Resolution Agreement with OCR.

Read Boston Globe's tribute to Ruby Rogers, quoting Richard Cole: Lead plaintiff in landmark civil rights case, brought by Cole, establishing hopitalized psychiatric patients right to refuse anti-psychotic drugs.