J. Nathan Cole
Shareholder
- 508-490-8500

Nathan Cole is a Director at Kenney & Sams. He is an experienced trial lawyer who represents businesses and individuals before the Massachusetts Superior Court, Massachusetts Appeals Court, the U.S. District Court, numerous private mediators and arbitrators. He represents small businesses and regional companies, as well as major national corporations needing local counsel. His clients are a diverse range of individuals and businesses involved in construction, manufacturing, insurance, food services, retail, waste management and hazardous materials cleanup, and commercial landscaping, maintenance and snow removal.
Nathan has deep experience with construction litigation, representing general contractors, scaffolding manufacturers, subcontractors, building owners, property managers, snow plow companies, and others in contract disputes, jobsite defect cases, premises liability, product liability, and insurance coverage disputes.
He uses this experience to guide businesses in all phases of risk management and planning, including construction and business contract negotiations, indemnification agreements, and employee hiring and termination considerations.
Nathan started his career as an Attorney-Advisor in the Ethics Division of the United States Department of Commerce’s Office of General Counsel in Washington, D.C. He left the Department of Commerce to serve as a law clerk to the Justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court before entering private practice.
Nathan is rated AV preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell and has been named to the Massachusetts Super Lawyers list since 2013. Each year, no more than five percent of lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. He was selected for membership in the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) and is a 2015 graduate of the IADC Trial Academy—a premier defense trial advocacy training program associated with Stanford University Law School.
Nathan has been a trial tactics instructor for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and has presented and demonstrated on the cross examination of expert witnesses for Exponent and other expert witness providers. In 2019, Nathan presented on general contractors’ non-delegable duty for jobsite safety at the Annual Meeting of the International Association of Defense Counsel in Asheville, NC.
Professional Associations
- Chair, Construction Law and Litigation Committee of the International Association of Defense Counsel (2022-Present)
- Chair, Construction Law Committee of the Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association (2022-Present)
- Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association Board of Directors (2019-Present)
- Co-Chair, Professional Liability Insurance Subcommittee of Boston Bar Association (2019-2020)
- Massachusetts Bar Association (Judicial Administration Committee)
Publications
- Massachusetts Mechanic’s Lien Statutory Deadlines Are Strictly Enforced, Pandemic or Not
- The Policy Giveth and the Policy Taketh Away: Do You Know Your Insurance Policy’s Coverage Exclusions?
- Governor Baker Revises Non-Essential Business Emergency Order
- Business Interruptions Insurance Coverage Update: Massachusetts Senate Considers Retroactively Expanding Coverage to Include Covid-19 Based Claims.
- Governor Baker authorizes construction work to resume in Boston and Cambridge; Mayor Walsh responds, extending his order pausing non-essential construction in Boston.
- Coronavirus Claims and Coverage: What Happens Next?
- Mechanic’s Lien Unenforceable Due to Statutory Noncompliance
- Are You Registered As A Home Improvement Contractor? Should You Be?
- Do You Have a Duty to Read Your Insurance Policies?
- Insurance Agents: Order Takers or Advisors?
- How Prudent Risk Management Can Extend the Workers’ Compensation Act’s Tort Immunity to Companies That Lease Their Employees
Practice Areas
Contract Law
Professional Liability
Admissions
Massachusetts
United States District Court
New Hampshire
Education
Boston College Law School, J.D., 2003
Bates College, B.A., 1997
Awards & Recognition
Recognized by Best Lawyers in America® 2021-2024
Selected to the Massachusetts Super Lawyers list every year since 2017
Awarded Client Service All-Star by BTI Consulting Group 2022-2023
AV® Preeminent™ rating by Martindale-Hubbell®
43rd Annual IADC Trial Academy
Selected for inclusion in 2013-2015 Massachusetts Rising Stars®
Recommended Insurance Attorneys – General Defense 2014