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
Case Law Update
Farmers Were Not “Farmers” for Purposes of Conservation Easement Charitable Deduction Rutkoski v. Comissioner, 149 T.C. 6 (August 7, 2017). THE PARTIES: Mark Rutkoske and Felix Rutkoske are brothers who engaged in a farming operation through various business entities...
Minneapolis Sick and Safe Time Ordinance
SEPTEMBER 2017 UPDATE: Looking Good, Richfield! Minnesota Court of Appeals Affirms Lower Court’s Temporary Ban on Enforcement for Employers Located Outside the City of Minneapolis As we wrote about a few months ago, Minneapolis’s controversial Sick and Safe Time...
Minnesota’s Limited Liability Company Statute Changes January 1, 2018
Minnesota law regarding limited liability companies changes on January 1, 2018. On that date almost every limited liability company (LLC) formed in Minnesota under its "old" 1992 law will now fall under a new - much different - 2014 LLC law. The new law differs from...
Guardianship
There is often confusion regarding what a guardianship is and whether it may be necessary for a friend or loved one. This article is meant to provide a general overview of guardianships in Minnesota. A guardianship is a relationship between a guardian, who is...
News You Can Use First Quarter 2018
Do I still need an estate plan with the changes in the tax law? Receipt/payment of alimony will have different implications in 2019. Deduction for payment on confidential sexual harassment settlements ended. Our Hudson office is one of the top three finalists in the...
Downloading Technology in Legal Practice: ABA Formal Opinion 477 & Cybersecurity Best Practices
Bryan Feldhaus presented a Hennepin County Bar Association seminar on Downloading Technology in Legal Practice: ABA Formal Opinion 477 & Cybersecurity Best Practices on October 13, 2017. Legal professionals are under increasing attack by cybercriminals and must...