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
Lommen Abdo News – April 2021
Reducing Your Client’s Medical Expense Exposure Recent Decision Reaffirms Coverage Follows the Vehicle – Not the Person Is a Revocable Trust Right for You? The Passing of One of Our Own Jim Krause Joins Our Litigation Team Be Open to Opportunities You Never Imagined –...
Is a Revocable Trust Right for You?
Many clients come to the estate planning process having heard about revocable trusts, and have questions about whether a trust is right for them. This article explains how a trust helps to avoid probate, and may help you decide if a trust is right for you. Probate...
Reducing Your Client’s Medical Expense Exposure
John Crawford, Brent Tunis and Beth Chapman authored an article in the February 2021 For the Defense magazine by DRI, the Voice of the Defense Bar. Read the full article. If a plaintiff can establish that a defendant negligently caused personal injuries, the plaintiff...
Litigation Strategies for Reducing Exposure to Insurers and Insureds
John Crawford presented a webinar to approximately 52 claims professionals at a major insurance company on February 10th. The webinar was titled “Litigation Strategies for Reducing Exposure to Insurers and Insureds” and covered the following topics: Strategies for...
Legal Malpractice – What’s in a Name?
The Minnesota Court of Appeals recently clarified that an attorney misconduct claim couched as a breach of fiduciary duty claim is still a claim for attorney malpractice and subject to the expert affidavit requirements of Minnesota Statutes section 544.42. In short,...
Tales From the Trenches From the Defense Perspective
The coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly presented challenges to the way we operate in both our personal and professional lives. In the legal setting, perhaps the most challenging is how we conduct jury trials during this time. With that in mind, what issues should...