 Even after leaving the DOJ, Cole remained involved in matters related to the federal government, serving in 1996 and 1997 as the special counsel to the United States House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (known as the House Ethics Committee) during the investigation of Newt Gingrich on ethics violations.Cole was a partner at the law firm Bryan Cave LLP from 1995 until December 2010.In 2004, Cole and his law firm were hired as part of a 2004 agreement with the government to monitor AIG's regulatory compliance, financial reporting, whistle-blower protection and employee retention policies, submitting confidential reports to the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission.