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
Family Law Q&A with Marc Johannsen:
How did the "best interest" factors change in 2015? [Transcript] What jurisdictional considerations do I need to keep in mind if I am getting a divorce and live in Minnesota while my spouse lives in Wisconsin? [Transcript] What custody rights do grandparents have to...
Civil Litigation Q&A with Keith Broady:
What types of issues do you see most often in your commercial litigation practice? [Transcript] What is the first thing I should do if my professional license is being threatened? [Transcript] What is your experience in civil litigation? [Transcript] View all of the...
News You Can Use July/August 2015
U.S. Department of Labor interprets definition of “employ.” Options for keeping the vacation home in the family. Strategizing your compliance plan. Preparing for the unexpected spill on your property. How the “best interest” factors in family law changed this. ...
Minnesota Implements Significant Family Law Reform
For the first time in a number of years, the Minnesota Legislature passed a series of significant reforms in the area of family law. The omnibus family law bill (S.F. 1191) signed by Governor Dayton on May 14, 2015, (1) rewrote the Best Interests of the Child Statute...
Jamie Johnson shares lessons learned in 25 years of practice
This spring of 2015 marks several milestones in my life: 25 years married to my wife, Jean; 25 years living in the Hudson community; and 25 years as a litigation attorney for the Lommen Abdo law firm. In those 25 years, I have learned many lessons relating to...
Downloading Technology in Legal Practice: Amendments to the Rules of Professional Conduct
Introduction Today’s tech tools, including mobile devices, cloud computing and social media, represent the new era of legal service. With those tools, among others, lawyers are able to better serve clients through increased efficiency, visibility and responsiveness....