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
The Ins and Outs of Legal Malpractice Claims
Phil Cole and Richard Thomas, Burke & Thomas, presented a webcast series on the ins and outs of legal malpractice claims. The series took place at noon on three Fridays throughout May 2017 and presented by Minnesota CLE. Friday, May 12, 2017 Legal Malpractice:...
Advice from an all-too personal experience: so your identity is stolen…Now what do you do?
You check your mailbox. No mail. Seems strange. The next day you receive calls from credit card companies checking on your applications. Next you receive letters from credit card companies. No applications were made by you. You wonder if this is a phishing expedition...
How to protect your children’s inheritance from divorce, creditors, and lawsuits
As divorce rates rise and society becomes increasingly litigious, asset protection has become an increasingly important aspect of estate planning. While most people understand the more common estate planning goals such as probate avoidance and limiting estate tax...
Five tips for updating your estate plan during or after divorce
Divorce is a difficult process, no matter how amicable the split. Between property division, potential custody disputes, and escalating legal bills, no one wants to think about more legal hoops to jump through. While updating your estate plan during a divorce may be...
Contests Over Wills and Trusts: The Interaction Between Testamentary Capacity and Undue Influence
After a person dies, there can be many disagreements among the heirs and beneficiaries over the Will or Trust of a decedent. Two of the most common issues raised are: 1) whether the decedent had “testamentary capacity” when they signed a document; and 2) whether they...
Lommen Abdo welcomes John Crawford, adding his expertise to litigation and transportation practices
Attorney John Crawford has joined Lommen Abdo, bringing additional experience to the firm’s litigation practices and transportation law practice. John has represented clients in cases involving insurance coverage, personal injuries, wrongful death, traumatic brain...