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The Life and Career of Thomas Cole Edwards: A Career Journey from the Courtroom to the Caribbean

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  6. The Life and Career of Thomas Cole Edwards: A Career Journey from the Courtroom to the Caribbean

published December 11, 2006

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( 35 votes, average: 4.2 out of 5)
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<<Following his graduation from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1968, Edwards prepared to attend law school. He craved an education immersed in the rich political soil of Washington, DC, and he found one at The George Washington University Law School. The osmosis, as Edwards called it, of attending law school in the middle of the nation's center for government and law introduced him to and engaged him in many active political issues and interests. He developed friendships with those who worked and lobbied on Capitol Hill, as well as with those who worked for the Nixon administration, specifically Henry Kissinger. "You just got all types of exposure, and you felt like you could change the world, and that's the kind of feeling I like," Edwards said.


 
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After serving a clerkship and basking in the vivacity of Washington, DC, Edwards passed the DC bar exam and traveled the world until he settled into the beautiful Newport Beach community in Southern California. After practicing law there for several years, Edwards ended up becoming an expert in real estate and corporate law, something that had seemed inconceivable and foreign to him at one time. "I remember the days of sitting in law school and opening this thick book on real property and trying to figure out what the heck a contingent remainderman was, but the practice of real estate is very different from that," he said.

Once he had conquered this chapter in his life, Edwards decided to venture further and open his own firm, Thomas Cole Edwards, Inc., which he still practices at today. Now specializing in real estate and business law exclusively, Edwards used to do a lot of litigating, as well, which he discontinued because "[l]itigation is a young person's game, and it just wears on you and wears on you and wears on you. And I've slowly but surely weaned my clients, [telling them] that I'm not going to do litigation for them anymore, other than very particularized things."

During his years at his firm, Edwards has made it a paramount priority to remain active in his community and its affairs. Serving in various leadership positions, including City Councilman, Mayor Pro-Tem, and, finally, Mayor of Newport Beach in 1997, Edwards has never questioned whether or not he would make the time to give back to his community. "I don't care who you are; everybody has an obligation to the community that they live in. We live in a great country, state, and city, and I think you owe something back. People before you have fought in one way or another to preserve all these things. I just think that everybody owes it to themselves and their children to continue to fight that good fight," he explained.

Running his own firm and the City of Newport Beach simultaneously was a challenge, but it demonstrated and strengthened Edwards' drive and dedication to improve and keep up the conditions of his city. "It's quite time-consuming; it just kills you. When I was mayor, I was spending 40 hours a week working and at the same time spending another 40 hours doing city business, and unless you're independently wealthy, it takes a toll," he advised.

Edwards has continually outdone himself over the years fighting for the good of his community, as well as individuals' rights. One of his most ambitious and beneficial contributions was creating, drafting, and negotiating the John Wayne Airport settlement agreement that arose in 1985. This agreement remained in place for some time, putting specific restrictions on the airport, which is centrally located near many homes in Orange County. Edwards' contract negotiation experience also includes his work on a labor contract against the Teamsters Union. While serving as Mayor Pro-Tem, he helped protect the multibillion-dollar tourism industry of California when he teamed up with the cities of Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach to prevent oil drilling at nearby offshore locations. Taking the issue to Congress, Edwards eventually testified before a House committee on the issue. Edwards was also very involved in Measure A, drafting legislation and testifying before a joint House/Senate committee. Measure A dealt with the conversion of an El Toro Marine base. Its closure and zoning needed to make it compatible as an aviation facility. Additionally, Edwards' law career has carried him through to the San Francisco Superior Court, where he successfully resolved a class action litigation case on behalf of one of his clients.

As the current President of the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation, Edwards sees community libraries as invaluable assets to cities. Drafting state legislation for library funding and constantly fighting for the advancement of the organization, Edwards has helped to shape and maintain the country's number-two-ranked public library. With the aid of the organization's two million-dollar endowment, he and his team are continually working to raise even more money to ensure that this organization stays as strong as it can be.

Last year, Edwards had another career idea: to write an exciting novel. And that is just what he did. Gin Clear Water, which was published by BookLocker.com, is an exotic adventure that takes place in the Caribbean, one of Edwards' favorite vacation destinations. The story follows marine biologist Philip Grady, who is originally sent to the Caribbean islands to investigate a mysterious decline in the dolphin population. As his case unfolds, Grady learns that there is something much more fishy going on—no pun intended. The vibrant and action-filled novel handles controversial issues such as international politics, political corruption, and the preservation of dolphins and other marine species. Edwards' talent for capturing the essence of the Caribbean setting is impeccable in this novel, as he integrates his personal experience in the Caribbean throughout his story. Vivid and colorful verbal illustrations of the location and weather create an escape for readers of the book. One reader commented, "I felt like I was actually sitting on the porch in the hot, humid night, sipping a beer, and sitting on the porch rocking in the chair."

Edwards' passions for exploring and traveling come across loud and clear throughout his novel, but he is also an avid sportsman. He can be found participating in various rigorous sports, from basketball in his local community to kayaking and white water rafting in the wild. Having just returned from another journey through the Caribbean, Edwards also enjoys trekking all over Central America, as well as Europe. He has done quite a bit of biking throughout European regions, as well. Always looking for new opportunities and experiences to learn from, Edwards loves embracing the languages of all of the countries he visits and exposing himself to all elements of international cultures and customs.

Realizing that the most important component of his professional life has been to continually follow his interests and passions, Edwards has pieced together a very diverse and personally satisfying career. His advice is simple: the key to having a happy and long-lived career is finding and embracing a career that makes one happy. "Find an area in law that you're going to be happy to go to every morning," he said. In Edwards' more than 30 years of experience, he has seen a variety of people who are not, and have never been, pleased with their jobs, which is a very disappointing reality for some in the field of law—and many others, for that matter. Edwards elaborated, saying, "Look, folks, this isn't a dress rehearsal; you might as well enjoy life. As you get older like me, life's too short, so I just think you've got to find something enjoyable. You've got the education, and people are going to hire people who are educated—you can start a business, or you can get involved in a number of things."

From Washington, DC, to Orange County, CA, Edwards has pursued his path to career diversity and personal satisfaction by pulling out all of the stops. His ever-changing and growing impulses and ambitions have driven him in so many positive directions over the years, making him a respected role model in the legal community, as well as in his home community of Newport Beach.
 
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published December 11, 2006

( 35 votes, average: 4.2 out of 5)
What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.

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