The Suit Magazine

As a young lawyer, Charles Cole was drawn to trials. “I liked being able to talk to juries and see the courtroom almost like a theater, a form of performance art,” he told The Suit. It’s a philosophy that, as a trained dramatist, he employs with success. In fact, 55 of the 60 cases Cole has tried before a jury have won favorable or projected outcomes.

In his 13 years at Schuyler, Roche, & Crisham, he’s been instrumental in expanding the firm’s size and scope. In 2008 he spearheaded a merger that added 10 lawyers to the roster and opened the practice to medical cases.  Now, in addition to commercial litigation, Schuyler, Roche & Crisham also handles malpractice defense for physicians, specialists, and medical device manufacturers.

Cole is a shareholder in the firm and has been practicing law since the 1970s.  He has also trained at Chicago’s famous Second City, a comedy club and school of improvisation. “It helped me greatly in terms of my courtroom skills and being able to and entertain and stimulate jurors, keeping them engaged in the argument I’m presenting,” he says.

Lately, there’s one change in the field of law that’s been bothering Cole: a growing lack of civility in the courtroom. As a man with unwavering faith in the judicial system, Cole believes that when opposing parties behave amicably and professionally, it’s a more efficient machine.

“Maybe that’s a pie-in-the-sky kind of view, a very optimistic kind of view, but that’s sort of been my M.O.,” he said.

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