Date : Feb 1, 2012
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – February 1, 2012
Minnesota Lawyer has announced that Bill Hart, a partner with Meagher & Geer, has been named a 2011 “Attorney of the Year.” Honorees are chosen based on several criteria, including involvement in major cases. Bill handled a number of important appeals in 2011, including these four, of particular note:
- Cynosure, Inc. v. St. Paul Fire and Marine Ins. Co., 645 F.3d 1 (2nd Cir. 2011);
- Butts ex rel. Iverson v. Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, 802 N.W.2d 839 (Minn. App. 2011) review denied (Minn. Oct. 26, 2011);
- Williams v. Orlando Henry “Tubby” Smith, 2011 WL 4905629 (Minn. App. Oct. 17, 2011); and
- Glorvigen v. Cirrus Design Corp., 796 N.W.2d 541 (Minn. App. 2011), review granted (Minn. June 28, 2011).
The 2011 Attorneys of the Year will be featured in a special section of the publication Minnesota Lawyer, and during an awards dinner on February 23, 2012, at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Minneapolis.
Meagher & Geer partner Charles Spevacek, was an honored Attorney of the Year in 2006.
Bill heads the firm’s Appellate practice department. His work focuses on appeals of insurance coverage and general litigation matters. He has handled close to 400 appeals in Minnesota courts, as well as in state and federal appeals courts across the country. He also consults with outside trial counsel and represents civic, business, and trade groups by writing and filing amicus curiae briefs. For many years, he has served as the chair of the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association amicus curiae committee. Bill is a frequent lecturer on appellate practice and procedure. He teaches appellate advocacy at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, where he is also a mentor. He has contributed to leading legal publications, including Black’s Law Dictionary and the Minnesota Civil Jury Instruction Guides. Bill sits on the board of the Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society, as well as the board of the Minnesota Loan Repayment Assistance Program – a non-profit organization that helps make it possible for competent legal counsel to represent low-income and disadvantaged populations.
Outside the office, Bill is a big fan of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. Along with a colleague, he filed an amicus curiae brief in the case that kept the Twins in Minnesota. He enjoys professional basketball, and sits on the appeals committee of the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association. He has also been a troop and expedition leader for the Boy Scouts of America.
Greg Stephens, Meagher & Geer’s Managing Partner, said, “Bill Hart is an outstanding lawyer and person. We are proud to see Bill receive this well deserved recognition.”
The law firm of Meagher & Geer, P.L.L.P. represents leading businesses, public entities, non-profit organizations, and individuals nationwide. The firm, founded in 1929, offers more than 75 lawyers focusing on litigation, insurance coverage, professional liability, products liability, mass tort/toxic tort, employment practices, construction, real estate, estates and trusts, intellectual property, and corporate/business services. We serve our clients from offices in Minnesota and Arizona.
Our attorneys are licensed in nineteen states, including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.