Richard has been in private practice of law since 2009 and is a Shareholder at Cole & Cole Law, P.A. He has been admitted to practice with the Florida Bar and is a fourth-generation Floridian born and raised in Sarasota.

Richard began law school at the University of Florida, Levin College of Law, in 2005 following his Bachelor of Arts program at the University of Florida, where he majored in English and minored in Sociology with highest honors. At Levin, Richard was a member of the Florida Law Review and served as a Research Editor. In 2006 he was awarded the “Book” Award for Corporations. He received honors in his Legal Research and Writing and Appellate Advocacy courses. Richard also served as a board member on the Law College Council, a student government body. Richard studied European law at the Universiteit Leiden, Netherlands during his J.D. program. He graduated in the top third of his class with cum laude distinction.

After completing his J.D., Richard went to London to further study international and European laws. Richard focused on international finance, investment, and insolvency (bankruptcy) law. He received his Master of Laws in 2009. His dissertation focused on the special issues confronted by multinational corporate groups and securitized assets during bankruptcy.