Susan Cole began her legal career in 1977 at the Georgia Legal Services Program office in Macon, where she primarily represented elderly clients. She later worked in private practice in Macon and in 2002 became a United States Magistrate Judge in the Northern District of Georgia, Gainesville Division. She retired in 2012 and is currently involved with efforts to promote Restorative Justice practices and programs in Georgia. As a GLSP Board member, she represents the Gainesville-Northeastern Bar Association.