About J. Nathan
J. Nathan Cole began his legal path at Bates College, where he earned a B.A. in English in 1997. He went on to Boston College Law School and received his J.D. in 2003. Those years framed a practice that combines trial work, regulatory matters and a surprising maritime credential.
Cole's early professional steps placed him inside government and the courts. In 2003 he served as a Lawyer-Advisor in the Ethics Division of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of the General Counsel. He then spent a year clerking for the Justices of the Superior Court of Massachusetts in 2005. That clerkship was followed by a stint in private practice starting in 2006 as an associate at Tucker, Heifetz & Saltzman, LLP.
Over the next decade he moved through several roles in defense-oriented firms. He joined Heifetz Rose, LLP as a senior associate in 2013 and became a partner there in 2014. In 2016 he moved to Kenney & Sams, P.C. as a partner and was named a shareholder of the firm in 2023. He is admitted to practice in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
His practice has a construction and professional-liability emphasis. He handles construction defect claims, complex insurance disputes and professional liability matters for design professionals and contractors. He also litigates commercial disputes in state and federal court. He has chaired and co-chaired committees on construction law and professional liability in bar and defense organizations, shaping programming and educational efforts for other lawyers.
Cole maintains active participation in peer groups. He joined the Defense Research Institute in 2014 and has been on the board of the Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association since 2019. He was named chair of MDLA's Construction Law Committee in 2022. He has also served on the International Association of Defense Counsel's Construction Law and Litigation Committee since 2014, and he served as co-chair of the Boston Bar Association's Professional Liability Committee in 2019–2020.
Outside the courtroom he holds a U.S. Coast Guard credential: Master of Near Coastal Steam or Motor Vessels — 100 Ton. The license reflects an interest beyond standard civil practice and complements litigation matters that touch on maritime or waterfront issues.
Cole practices from the Boston-area offices of Kenney & Sams, P.C., where he represents clients in construction, insurance and professional-liability disputes. His current practice focuses on defending clients in construction and professional liability matters.
