Meet Cole Voorhies: Making Public Interest Possible

Through an unexpected connection – a shared interest in Old School RuneScape with a Carolina Law student – Cole Voorhies found his way to a role that combines his passions for mentoring and public service. As Director of Public Interest Advising, he has a clear vision: helping students forge their paths while building a supportive community along the way.  

After graduating from UNC in 2018 with degrees in History and Political Science, Voorhies headed to Fordham Law School in New York. There, he dove into environmental justice work in Manhattan while serving as Fordham Environmental Law Review’s Symposium Editor. His second summer brought him back to North Carolina, where an internship at Legal Aid’s Gastonia office sparked a passion that would shape his future. By graduation in 2021, his commitment to public service earned him recognition as a Public Service Scholar.  

Back in North Carolina full-time with Legal Aid, Voorhies started in the central intake unit handling legal triage before taking on elder abuse cases and financial exploitation litigation in the Senior Law Project. But the real revelation came while participating in law school clinics and managing summer interns. “I really like working with law students,” he says. “These experiences showed me this could be my way to make an impact.”  

“Carolina Law has an incredible reputation in the public interest sphere,” Voorhies explains. “I want to help build relationships that will open up opportunities for our students to make a difference.” Now, he’s focused on strengthening partnerships and creating new pathways between students and organizations across North Carolina and beyond.  

Voorhies knows firsthand how crucial support and guidance can be in the public interest job search. “I want to offer the kind of support I wish I’d had when I was looking for public interest opportunities,” he says. His experience managing crises at Legal Aid taught him how to help students overcome obstacles while building vital professional connections. 

When he’s not advising students or planning pro bono work, you might catch Voorhies sharing thoughts on post-punk music or planning his next outdoor adventure. Through his journey, he’s learned that meaningful professional relationships often start with genuine personal connections – exactly what he aims to foster as he builds Carolina Law’s next generation of public interest lawyers.