Phillip A. Cole / Retired
Former Areas of Practice: Legal Malpractice, Professional Liability, Medical Malpractice, Commercial Litigation, Business Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation, Shareholder/Owner Disputes, Wrongful Death
Phillip A. Cole / Biography
Before his retirement, Phil Cole used his extensive litigation experience in handling personal injury cases, commercial disputes, business torts, class actions, medical malpractice claims, and the defense of all types of claims brought against lawyers. Mr. Cole has been a frequent lecturer and a published author in the areas of trial strategies and professional liability subjects. Mr. Cole was a board certified civil trial advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy before retiring.
He has been a qualified neutral under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice and included on the civil neutrals rosters for both facilitative/hybrid and adjudicative/evaluative panels. Mr. Cole was selected as the Minneapolis Best Lawyers Legal Malpractice Lawyer of the Year for 2011 and as the Minneapolis Best Lawyers Legal Malpractice Lawyer-Defendants of the Year for 2014 and again in 2019. Cole, a member of the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys until his retirement, was certified as a specialist in the litigation of both legal and medical professional liability claims (this national organization is not accredited by the Minnesota Board of Legal Certification).
Mr. Cole has also been recognized in the International Who’s Who, Who’s Who in American Law, the National Registry of Who’s Who, and as one of The Best Lawyers in America© by U.S. World & News Report. He has been repeatedly listed as a Minnesota Super Lawyer and has been listed as a Top 100 Minnesota Super Lawyer for over a dozen years. Before his retirement he was rated AV Preeminent® for the highest level of professional excellence by Martindale-Hubbell.
Education
- University of Maryland, B.A., 1961
- Georgetown University, J.D., 1964
News + Articles
Common Mistakes That Make Postnuptial Agreements Invalid, And How to Avoid Them
Postnuptial agreements are no longer rare. Couples use them to protect business interests, clarify expectations around inherited assets, restructure finances after career changes, or stabilize a marriage after a period of difficulty. When properly drafted, they can...
Lommen Abdo Welcomes Andrew Hunstad to Board of Directors
Lommen Abdo is pleased to announce that family law attorney Andrew Hunstad has been appointed to the firm’s Board of Directors. Andrew focuses his practice on complex family law matters, including high-asset divorce, child custody, parenting time, and spousal...
How Postnuptial Agreements Impact Divorce Outcomes in Minnesota
When couples marry, they rarely anticipate divorce. Yet over time, financial circumstances change. A business grows. One spouse leaves the workforce. An inheritance is received. Debt accumulates. In these situations, some married couples choose to enter into a...
How to Start a Cannabis Business in Minnesota? What to Know Before You Dive In.
Let me guess. You’ve been watching what’s happening in Minnesota. Licenses rolling out. Headlines everywhere. Everyone talking about “getting in early.” Maybe you’ve thought, This is it. This is my window. And you might be right. But here’s what I tell every...
Why Your Business Structure Can Make — or Break — Your Estate Plan
I've lost track of how many times I've had this conversation: "Chris, my estate plan is all set. I've got a trust. Everything goes into it. We're good." And then I ask a simple question: "What does your operating agreement say about transfers at death?" Cue the...
What Happens If You Don’t Pay Child Support in Minnesota?
Child support orders are not suggestions. In Minnesota, child support is a court-ordered obligation designed to ensure that children’s basic needs are met, regardless of the relationship between their parents. When support...