Meagher & Geer
Established in Minneapolis in 1929, Meagher & Geer claims to be one of the leading defense law firms in the Upper Midwest, serving clients nationwide from offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Phoenix, Arizona. Meagher & Geer lawyers represent businesses of all sizes, public entities, non-profit organizations, and individuals in the areas of civil and commercial litigation defense with special emphasis on products liability, complex mass tort/toxic tort, professional liability, health care, employment practices, construction, catastrophic loss, real estate and insurance coverage. The firm also provides advice and representation in matters involving corporate law, corporate transactions, wills, estates and trusts, and real estate transactions. Meagher & Geer attorneys are licensed in seventeen states, including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, North DAKOTA, New Jersey, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
History of Meagher & Geer
In 1929, I. E. Meagher (1905 - 1979) founded the law firm now known as Meagher & Geer, P.L.L.P. In the beginning, Mr. Meagher limited his practice to fidelity and surety BOND consultation litigation. Today, Meagher & Geer lawyers enjoy a broad practice based upon an established reputation.
The firm concentrates on insurance-defense litigation, emphasizing trial and appellate practice and has an established and thriving corporate and business transaction practice. The firm represents dozens of insurance companies with respect to a wide variety of insurance-related issues and hundreds of small to mid-size companies in all areas of the business and commercial world. The firm also serves as regional trial counsel for several corporate clients. The firm's attorneys are licensed or admitted pro hac vice in more than 30 states, as well as many federal district courts, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
The firm is best known for its civil litigation practice involving issues arising out of fidelity losses, contract surety, general negligence, personal injury, products liability, catastrophic loss, liquor liability, employment law, public official/governmental liability, professional liability (including medical malpractice, legal malpractice, accountant malpractice, negligence of construction professionals and liability of other professionals), and environmental law. Our strengths in the transactional arena include employment, real estate, mergers and acquisitions, general business and corporate advising, estate and probate.
The excellent reputation of the firm's litigation practice was established in large part by Arthur B. Geer (1908 - 1977). Mr. Geer was GeneRally recognized as one of Minnesota's leading trial lawyers. His successors have followed in his footsteps. Thus it was not surprising that a poll of lawyers by the Minnesota State Bar Association established that W. D. Flaskamp is regarded by his peers as the state's foremost defense lawyer engaged in civil practice. Mr. Flaskamp is a past president of The International Society of Barristers, a group whose membership is limited to 500 United States Trial Lawyers, elected by their peers. He and several other members of the firm have also been admitted to the American College of Trial Lawyers.
The firm's self-proclaimed reputation for excellence in appellate practice was established by O. C. Adamson, II and M. (Mary) Jeanne Coyne, the second woman to serve on the Minnesota Supreme Court (appointed in 1982). William Hart, who has argued dozens of appeals in the State and Federal Appellate Courts, now supervises the firm’s appellate practice.
Not all of the firm's practice is litigation related. Included as clients are many businesses that employ the firm to provide counsel and advice on commercial transactions. These clients include local businesses of all types and sizes and branch offices of national and international corporations.
The 75+ lawyers at the firm comprise one of the largest single units of civil litigation practice in the state of Minnesota. In 2008 the firm was ranked as the 13th largest law firm in Minnesota, having doubled in size in the last ten years.