Phil Cole

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

Putting the Case to Rest: Closing the Estate

Jesse Beier spoke at the NBI Seminar, The Probate Process From Start to Finish, on August 30, 2017.  Jesse presented "Putting the Case to Rest: Closing the Estate."   Your Fundamental Guide to Probate So your client wants you to handle a probate case - do you...

Bad-Faith Claims and Its Impact on Insurance Companies

Mike Moline spoke at a webinar, Bad-Faith Claims and Its Impact on Insurance Companies, on October 19, 2017 presented by the Knowledge Group.  Mike spoke with Aaron French and Nelson Bellido on topics such as "Bad Faith Set-Up - A Legal Primer," "Mechanics of Set-Up...

Minnesota Estate Tax Legislative Update – May 2017

Minnesota Estate Tax Legislative Update – May 2017

Governor Dayton has signed the 2017 tax bill which will increase the Minnesota estate tax exemption from its current level of $1.8 million to $2.1 million for individuals dying in 2017. The legislation also adjusts the estate tax exemption in subsequent years;...

Lommen Abdo Prevails in Shorted Fringe Fund Claims Trial

Federal Judge Patrick Schiltz completely vindicated Lommen Abdo’s client, Frana Companies, in a decision filed in March 2017.* Keith Broady was the lead defense attorney for Frana, a general contractor, in a case that spanned over three and half years, including nine...

Lommen Abdo garners a trio of trial victories in early 2017

Lommen Abdo started off 2017 with three great courtroom victories for its clients in Minnesota state and federal courts. The first was a jury trial verdict in Hennepin County in a long-pending professional liability matter relating to a mechanic’s lien.  Phil Cole,...