Merritt A. Cole

Merritt Cole is Chair of the Securities Law Practice Group and Counsel at Earp Cohn P.C., which he joined in 2014. He has extensive experience in securities and corporate law matters, including transactional matters (public and private securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital investments and control contests), SEC reporting and compliance, corporate governance and business counseling. Mr. Cole has represented a broad range of business clients, ranging from development-stage companies to publicly-held companies and financial institutions, including broker-dealers, investment advisors and banks.Mr. Cole has represented businesses and individuals in enforcement actions brought by the SEC, state securities commissions, stock exchanges and FINRA. He has represented both broker-dealers and customers in securities arbitrations. He lectures frequently on securities law matters and has served as an expert witness and arbitrator in legal proceedings.Before entering private practice, Mr. Cole worked with the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C., where he served as a Branch Chief in the Division of Market Regulation. Prior to moving to Philadelphia in the 1980’s, he practiced with Shearman & Sterling in New York City.In June 2016, Mr. Cole was honored by being admitted to The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation.Mr. Cole has held additional senior leadership positions in many professional organizations. He has served as Chairman of the Business Law Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association and for many years served on the Executive Committee of the Section. Mr. Cole also served as Chair of the Securities Regulation Committee of the Business Law Section. He served as a member of the Attorney Advisory Committee of the Pennsylvania Securities Commission (until merged as the PA Department of Banking and Securities). Mr. Cole has taught Securities Regulation courses in three law schools and has taught Advanced Corporate Practice at Rutgers School of Law and Advanced Topics in Securities Regulation at Temple University School of Law.