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
Probate and Estate Planning Fundamentals
Cameron Kelly and Jesse Beier presented at the Hudson Daybreak Rotary on March 7, 2018 on "Probate and Estate Planning Fundamentals."
New Tax Act Slices Deduction for Payments and Fees on Confidential Sexual Harassment or Abuse Settlements
A deep look into the new Tax Act reveals a significant change in existing law regarding the deductibility of confidential sexual harassment settlement payments and attorney’s fees. Previously, settlement payments (for defendants) and the attorney’s fees necessary to...
When Should I Update My Estate Plan?
I recently worked with a client after his spouse passed away. Their revocable living trust had been drafted in 2000 by a competent attorney. At that time, the federal estate tax exemption was $675,000. The estate tax exemption is the amount of money that a person...
Estate Planning From A to Z
Cameron Kelly spoke on February 13, 2018 at an NBI webcast, Estate Planning from A to Z. Cameron presented on two topics, “Basic Tax Planning” and “Trusts 101.” Grow a Successful Estate Planning Practice Are you ready to grow your own successful estate planning...
Technological Literacy: The New Normal for Legal Practice
The Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct now require a lawyer to maintain technological literacy in legal practice. Such technological literacy is critical because lawyers are attractive, and increasingly frequent, targets of cyber criminals. To develop...
No-Fault Here and Now and What Is on the Horizon
Kelly Sofio was a panelist in a session titled "No-Fault Here and Now and What Is on the Horizon" at the 2017 Twin Cities Claims Association Annual Winter Seminar. The no-fault panel discussed pertinent no-fault issues and ways to deal with the creative and crafty...