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
Paying it Forward: Approaching Mentorship as a New Lawyer
Lauren Nuffort, Rachel Holthaus, Paul Shapiro and Peter Stiteler drafted an article for the Winter 2015 edition of Minnesota Defense, "Paying it Forward: Approaching Mentorship as a New Lawyer." Article summary: Whenever established lawyers -- whether private...
Recovering the Cost of Code Required Repairs
Lauren Nuffort and Jessica Allen authored an article which appeared in the Winter 2015 Subrogator® Magazine (Page 42). Article summary: What happens to the costs and expenses associated with conforming a damaged building to current building and safety code...
Jury Finds for Plaintiff in Transplant Case
A Hennepin County jury recently found the University of Minnesota Physicians and Dr. Ty Dunn negligent in accepting a pancreas for transplantation where the cause of the donor’s death was unclear. The case was tried by Kathleen Loucks of Lommen Abdo and Edward...
Understanding Successor Liability
Keith Broady spoke on August 26, 2015 for the national webinar presented by The Knowledge Group on Successor Liability: What you Need to Know. Issues relating to whether one company or individual can be held liable for the debts of another company are frequently...
2016 Estate and Gift Tax Update
The federal estate and gift tax exemption will increase to $5,450,000 in 2016 (up from $5,430,000 in 2015). This is the total amount a person can gift during their lifetime and leave to others at death. Together, a married couple can shelter up to $10.9M. The federal...
Personal Injury From Start to Finish for Paralegals
Jamie Johnson presented on November 3, 2015 at an NBI webcast, “Personal Injury From Start to Finish for Paralegals.” Program description: The stakes are high when handling a personal injury case. This paralegal-focused program will provide you with trial checklists,...