Cole A. Cadman

Cole Cadman approaches every case the way he approaches a good puzzle: by studying what makes it unique and finding a creative path to the solution. An associate in the firm’s Charlotte office, Cole focuses his practice on civil litigation. His perspective is shaped by experience in private practice, on an in-house legal team, and at the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

No two cases present the same challenges, and Cole enjoys the creativity each one requires. He values working directly with the people and businesses he represents, and he finds meaning in knowing his work makes a real difference for them. He brings compassion, dedication, and an upbeat disposition to every matter.

Cole joined Hedrick Gardner with a broad foundation of legal experience. Before law school, he spent more than a year as a paralegal at a Raleigh law firm. There he managed an active caseload of 30 to 50 matters a day, prepared and filed pleadings and post-judgment documents, and tracked down hard-to-locate parties through public records. The role also showed him the value of empathy in difficult conversations and of finding common ground to resolve disputes amicably.

During law school, Cole served as a judicial intern to the Honorable John Tyson at the North Carolina Court of Appeals, where he drafted bench notes and assisted in the development of judicial opinions. He also worked as a research assistant to Professor Michael Gerhardt, monitoring U.S. Supreme Court developments and helping draft law review articles. He gained hands-on litigation experience as an intern at a Chapel Hill law firm, assisting with demand letters, research, and case strategy. As a member of the legal team at a building manufacturing company, he drafted standard operating procedures and supported company-wide compliance with the contract management system. Together, these roles give him insight into both how courts evaluate arguments and how businesses experience the legal process.

Cole’s path to the law began on a whim in his freshman year of high school, when joined the Speech and Debate team. After his first tournament, he knew what he wanted to do with his career, and passing the bar more than a decade later remains his proudest moment.

Outside the office, Cole spends time with his dog, Rizzo, and is active in his Jewish community. A devoted Cleveland Guardians fan, he also follows Formula One and enjoys reading, hiking, photography, tinkering with computers, and video games.