A Seasoned Professional
Dayton Cole is a seasoned professional committed to providing high quality mediation and legal services to individual and corporate clients. Throughout his legal career, Cole has been engaged in a broad general practice that encompassed a wide range of legal matters with emphasis on client counseling, research, writing, policy development, and coordination of litigation efforts with North Carolina Department of Justice attorneys.
Dispute Prevention and Resolution
Throughout his career, Cole has worked to prevent and resolve disputes in such diverse matters as constitutional law; employment; workers compensation; civil rights; real estate; intellectual property; tort claims; contracts for purchases of goods and services, as well as delivery of services; regulatory compliance; administrative law; entertainment; governance; public records and open meetings; law enforcement; tax-exempt financing of capital projects; construction; charitable gifts and trust administration; public utilities; taxation and creation and management of non-profit corporations.
A Distinguished Career
Prior to his 2018 retirement from the position of General Counsel at Appalachian State University he practiced law at three public universities for more than 36 years. During the last 30 years, he served as chief legal officer at Appalachian State.
His higher education career began in 1982 at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University – San Marcos), where he served as Assistant University Attorney, Students' Legal Advisor and Assistant to the Dean of Students.
From 1984 to 1988, he was University Attorney for East Texas State University (now Texas A & M University-Commerce) and advised clients at that institution's campuses in Commerce and Texarkana. In addition to providing legal counsel, he also served as Secretary to the Board of Regents and government relations liaison.
During his tenure at Appalachian State University, Cole served under 5 chancellors and numerous trustees. In response to requirements of the North Carolina Government Ethics Act, he was appointed by Chancellor Kenneth Peacock to serve as Appalachian’s ethics liaison to the North Carolina State Ethics Commission and served in that role from 2006 until his retirement in 2018.
Dayton served as President of the Texas Association of State University Attorneys in 1986-87, President of the Watauga County Bar Association in 1994-95, and Chair of the North Carolina Bar Association Education Law Section in 2001-02. He served as a member of the Board of Directors (1998-2001) and as Treasurer (2002-2005) of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, and as a member of the Board of Governors of the North Carolina Bar Association (2005-2008). In 2009, he received distinguished service awards from the National Association of College and University Attorneys and the Education Section of the North Carolina Bar Association.
Awards and Honors
In 2015, Cole was one of 4 recipients of the W.H. Plemmons Medallion, awarded by Appalachian State University’s Board of Trustees in recognition of “meritorious leadership that has significantly enriched the quality of student life and learning outside of the classroom.”
(Source: https://plemmonsmedallion.appstate.edu/)
Reporting on the award, Appalachian Today, a magazine published by the university, stated “… Cole has been praised for guiding the university through an increasingly complex landscape in a calm reflective manner, bringing unquestioned integrity to his work. He also is known for working long hours considering how a decision will impact students, faculty and staff and the reputation and function of the university. He devotes countless hours to thoughtful conversation with every constituent group, ensuring that every voice is heard and understood.”
(Source: https://today.appstate.edu/2015/09/04/plemmons-medallion-2015/)
In 2019, he received Life Membership from the National Association of College and University Attorneys. The award is “granted after an individual's retirement from the regular practice of higher education law (or similar end of regular representative status), in recognition of outstanding service and substantial contributions to the Association.”
(Source: https://www.nacua.org/about-nacua/honors-and-awards/life-membership)
Author
Cole is the author of The Legal Handbook for North Carolina Teachers, which was published in 2007 by Omni Publishers, Inc. and used on multiple occasions in the Law Institute for Teachers conducted by the Education Section of the North Carolina Bar Association.
Commitment to Community
Dayton currently serves on the Board of Directors of Watauga Opportunities, Inc., a non-profit corporation that provides job training, coaching and placement, and social skills training, to adults with diverse abilities.
When not working or engaged in service activities, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Cathy, their five adult children, their spouses, and eight grandchildren.
Photo Credit: Marie Freeman
Contact
➤ LOCATION
440 Northridge Drive
Boone, NC 28607
☎ CONTACT
dayton@dtcolelaw.com
(828) 719-5601