Firm Profile

Overview

 

Most, but not all, of my commercial litigation is on behalf of plaintiffs. Nearly all clients are referred to me by law firms either with conflicts of interest or who choose not to work on a contingent fee basis, which constitutes a substantial portion of my practice. Judges and jury members before whom I have tried cases, and litigation opponents also have referred matters to me.

Areas of Practice

 

Civil Litigation | Legal Malpractice | Professional Negligence | Family Law | Complex Commercial Litigation | Commercial Litigation | Residential and Commercial Real Estate | Complex Business Litigation | Defamation | Eminent Domain | Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility

Number of Cases

 

I have tried approximately 250 cases through conclusion, most of them before juries, throughout the state of Minnesota.

Appointments

 

I have been appointed referee and commissioner by judges of Hennepin County District Court, and special master by United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. I am currently serving as a special master in the distribution of a federal multi-district settlement.

Significant Cases

 

Jones Press v. Motor Travel Services, Inc., 176 N.W. 2d 87: Convinced the Minnesota Supreme Court that statutes authorizing garnishment of money and property under which commercial accounts were garnished without notice and opportunity to be heard were unconstitutional as violative of due process.

McKee Johnson v. Johnson, 444 N.W.2d 259: Set the “fairness” standards in antenuptial agreement disputes.

Gordon v. Gordon, 339 N.W.2d 269: Established the criteria where a joint custodial parent sought to remove the residence of the parties’ children from the state of Minnesota.

Reilly v. Antonello, 852 N.W.2d 694: Determined that indirect transfers of stock from judgment debtor to his wife constituted a fraudulent transfer.

Antonello v. Reilly, 2012 WL 5381908: Determined that certain property was not judgment debtor’s homestead within the meaning of Minnesota’s homestead exemption statute.

What People Are Saying

 

“My case wasn’t Phil’s first rodeo….I felt that he had seen it all,
knew what could happen, and prepared for all circumstances.”

—PJM

 

“You were very honest with me and you were very upfront. You explained things/scenarios really well and I appreciated your honesty and your integrity. You were very instrumental in changing my life, and you enabled me to be free and to make my own decisions.”

—MR

“Thanks very much. You got us everything we asked for!”

— J.A.D.

 

“He kept us calm, focused and confident at virtually all stages of the challenging, high-stakes process. Phil listened and respected my input throughout the case. He also brought to bear some talented specialists to assist with complex financial matters on the case.

— PJM