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
Statute 62Q Defense and the Supreme Court
Kelly Sofio presented to the MDLA Motor Vehicle Committee on her Court of Appeals Opinion on Western National Ins. Co. v. Jon Nguyen (A17-0314) on 62Q.75 and its applicability to Minnesota No-Fault.
No-Fault Trends
Attorney Kelly Sofio provided first-hand experience on current trends in no-fault arbitration claims at the Twin Cities Claims Association Annual Meeting in 2017.
Department of Transportation Revised Employee Drug Testing Rules Effective January 1, 2018
On January 1, 2018, commercial motor vehicle drivers and those performing safety sensitive functions for cargo and passenger carriers (collectively “drivers”) regulated by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) will now be screened for four additional...
Motor Carriers and New Electronic Logging Device Regulations
For businesses involved in the interstate transportation of goods by truck, December 2017 brings an important change – into the electronic age – as to how drivers must keep track of their working hours. For many decades the federal government limited the number hours...
News You Can Use Second Quarter 2018
Learn how to avoid threats from issues you didn’t even know were lurking. Wisconsin families can sign up for one-time $100 tax rebate. How do you choose a guardian for your children? Marc Johannsen honored by Northern Star Council of Boy Scouts. Cameron Kelly...
Estate Planning: Check Things Twice Before Moving on to 2018 Resolutions
Estate planning may not be at the top of most people's minds during the holidays. But it is important to check things twice before moving on to 2018 New Year's resolutions. For many of us, this includes updating our estate plans, figuring out what's happening with...