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Philip Sieff

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  1. Lawyers
  2. Philip Sieff
Philip Sieff

Philip Sieff

Partner PSieff@RobinsKaplan.com

Any information that you send us in an e-mail message should not be confidential or otherwise privileged information. Sending us an e-mail message will not make you a client of Robins Kaplan LLP. We do not accept representation until we have had an opportunity to evaluate your matter, including but not limited to an ethical evaluation of whether we are in a conflict position to represent you. Accordingly, the information you provide to us in an e-mail should not be information for which you would have an expectation of confidentiality.

If you are interested in having us represent you, you should call us so we can determine whether the matter is one for which we are willing or able to accept professional responsibility. We will not make this determination by e-mail communication. The telephone numbers and addresses for our offices are listed on this page. We reserve the right to decline any representation. We may be required to decline representation if it would create a conflict of interest with our other clients.

By accepting these terms, you are confirming that you have read and understood this important notice.


612.349.0106
    • Minneapolis

Practice Areas

  • Mass Tort Attorneys
  • Medical Malpractice Attorneys
  • Personal Injury Attorneys
  • Education
    • Hamline University Law School, J.D., cum laude (1985), Associate Member, Hamline Law Review and Associate Editor-In-Chief, Hamline Law Review Symposium
    • Cornell College, B.S.S., Politics, with distinction
  • Bar Admissions
    • Minnesota
    • U.S. District Court, Minnesota
    • U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin
    • America's Top 100 High Stakes Litigators
    • The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100
    • Rated by Super Lawyers Top 100, Minnesota
    • Super Lawyers 2017
    • MN Lawyer Attorneys of the Year
    • Best Law Firms 2015
  • Experience

    Trial lawyer Phil Sieff battles for justice when wrongdoers cause serious injury or death. Intense and relentless, he helps clients find the courage they need to face those who have hurt them. He has significant experience representing families coping with the wrongful death of a loved one, particularly a child, having handled over 100 wrongful death cases. He has particular experience in complex and high profile cases, including: the I-35W Bridge Collapse (lead co-counsel of I-35W Consortium, a group of 17 law firms that provided legal services to over 100 collapse victims); the Red Lake High School Shooting; the Wellstone Plane Crash; and the Holidazzle Parade Disaster.

    Mr. Sieff has spent more than twenty years in front of judges and juries obtaining justice from wrongdoers and their insurance companies. He has tried—and won— injury and wrongful death cases and has obtained numerous million dollar verdicts and settlements for his clients.  He has handled cases involving serious car accidents, passenger injuries, defective products, medical malpractice, violence in schools, drunk drivers, boating accidents, train derailments, construction site accidents, truck accidents, and airplane crashes. Mr. Sieff also has significant experience helping crime victims and people dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.

  • Selected Case Results*

    Show All

    Phil Sieff represents victims in wide variety of serious, complex, and high profile injury and wrongful death matters. Examples of some of those cases include:

    I-35W Bridge Collapse. Mr. Sieff served as lead co-counsel of the I-35W Consortium, a group of 17 law firms that provided legal services to the over 100 victims of the August 1, 2007 I-35W Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis. Robins Kaplan LLP provided free legal services to our clients. Mr. Sieff contributed over 3,500 hours of free legal services to the victims. He was instrumental in helping secure a legislatively created $37 million compensation fund for the Bridge Collapse victims, was in charge of managing the needs of the Consortium's 100+ Bridge Collapse clients, coordinating the work of the Consortium law firms, and was the point person for the engineering experts hired to determine the cause of the collapse. In 2009, PCI Corporation paid its insurance policy limits to the victims in a settlement and three years after the collapse, URS Corporation paid more than $40 million to settle the Consortium clients' claims. An additional $1.5 million was recovered from URS which was donated for the construction of the memorial built in Minneapolis to honor the victims of the collapse. In total, more than $77 million was recovered for the Consortium clients and Robins Kaplan LLP attorneys and staff devoted more than 20,000 hours of free legal services to the case. Due to the contributions from Mr. Sieff and other dedicated individuals, the firm received The National Law Journal's 2011 Pro Bono Award for its work in representing victims of Minnesota's 2007 I-35W bridge collapse. To learn more about the award and the I-35W Bridge collapse case, click here.

    Methadone-Related Car Accident: Mr. Sieff represented the families of two young men killed in a traffic collision caused by a methadone-impaired driver.  After a motion to dismiss, the families’ claims against the methadone clinic for negligent practices went forward following a “first-of-its-kind” ruling in Minnesota, in which the district court found that the clinic had a duty to protect the public from its improper treatment practices. After over two years of litigation and shortly before trial, the clinic agreed to confess judgment, be adjudicated negligent, and to assign all claims against its insurance companies two weeks prior to a scheduled jury trial. The judgments amounted to $8.5 million; insurance coverage continues to be actively litigated.

    Trial of Cirrus Plane Crash. Mr. Sieff obtained a $7.4 million jury verdict against Cirrus and others for the family of a 51-year-old man killed as a result of a Cirrus airplane crash. Unfortunately for the fatherless family, the verdict was later overturned by the Minnesota Supreme Court.

    Red Lake High School Shooting. On March 21, 2005, a 16-year-old went on a shooting rampage at the high school on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota. Ten people, mostly high school students, died in the rampage, making this one of the most devastating school shootings on record. Mr. Sieff was honored to represent the families of five children who died in the shooting and four of the children wounded. Mr. Sieff worked for several years to secure justice for the victims of this tragedy. This compensation came in the form of confidential monetary settlements with the Red Lake School District and a private company that provided the school with security consulting services. Those settlements provided funds used in part for health care expenses and post-secondary education.

    Wellstone Plane Crash. Mr. Sieff served as co-counsel representing the family of United States Senator Paul Wellstone and others following a plane crash that killed Senator Wellstone and members of his family and staff.
    The family's claims were settled for $25 million.

    Trial of the Holidazzle Parade Disaster. In December 1998, an out-of-control vehicle killed and seriously wounded numerous spectators in the crowd gathered on Minneapolis' Nicollet Mall to watch the Holidazzle Parade. Mr. Sieff represented several of the injured survivors of this tragedy, including a young girl who lost her arm. Mr. Sieff tried the Holidazzle Parade case before a Minneapolis jury for more than six weeks. Ultimately, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Mr. Sieff’s clients, including $3.8 million for the little girl whose arm was amputated, with most of the money set aside so she could receive artificial limbs and medical care for her lifetime.

    Trial of Work Place Injury. In November 2009, an operator of an excavator hit a young laborer with a 2,000 pound excavator bucket causing the laborer a pelvic injury that improved without long-term problems. Mr. Sieff, who represented the injured laborer, tried the personal injury case before a Duluth, Minnesota jury which returned a verdict in favor of Mr. Sieff’s client, including $250,000 in punitive damages.

    Automobile Collision. In 2007, a 63-year-old farm wife was severely injured when an approaching car crossed the center line on a rural two-lane road and struck her car. The collision left the woman injured with fractures to her right shoulder and arm, pelvis, right hip, right leg, and right foot. After developing an infection, her left arm had to be amputated below the elbow. The defendants denied liability and disputed damages, but in 2011 Mr. Sieff secured a $3.8 million settlement to cover the woman's massive, ongoing medical expenses, projected future expenses, and allowed the creation of a plan to help her adapt to her life-altering injuries. To learn more about the case, click here.

    Wrongful Death of an Infant. Tragically, a 3-month-old baby boy died from probable positional asphyxia while in licensed daycare after the daycare provider put the infant to sleep on an adult bed and not on his back, in violation of Minnesota law. The parents of the infant retained Mr. Sieff who was able to settle their claim for wrongful death with the insurer for the daycare paying full policy limits. (2013)

    Catastrophic Injury to a Toddler. Mr. Sieff represented a 2-year-old who was a passenger in his daycare provider’s vehicle which slid off the road and hit a light pole. The toddler sustained a severe traumatic brain injury. The insurer for the daycare provider settled for full insurance policy limits. The settlement will be used for the toddler’s long-term health needs. (2013)

    Wrongful Death of a Teenager. The family of a 13-year-old who died from injuries sustained in a single car motor vehicle crash retained Mr. Sieff to pursue a wrongful death claim against the driver of the car.  Mr. Sieff was able to settle the case through mediation for $1,500,000 with much of the settlement being used for charitable purposes by the family of the deceased teenager. (2013)

    Wrongful Death of a Senior Citizen. Mr. Sieff represented the family of a 75-year-old unmarried woman who was a passenger in a vehicle which was rear-ended by a school bus. The case settled at mediation for $900,000 while a motion for punitive damages against the bus company was pending. (2013)

    Wrongful Death of Grandmother and Grandson. A 14-year-old and his 65-year-old grandmother were in a car in Duluth, Minnesota, which was hit by a drunk driver. The grandmother died in the crash. The 14-year-old boy survived the crash with a massive traumatic brain injury but tragically died one year post-collision following brain surgery. Mr Sieff helped the families of the grandmother and her grandson settle their wrongful death claim on a confidential basis while litigation was pending. (2013)

    Wrongful Death/Dram Shop. The widow and two adult sons of a former law enforcement official who died in a single car collision were represented by Mr. Sieff in suit brought against a bar for over-serving the deceased. The case settled on a confidential basis just before trial. (2012)

    Past results are reported to provide the reader with an indication of the type of litigation we practice. They do not and should not be construed to create an expectation of result in any other case, as all cases are dependent upon their own unique fact situation and applicable law.

  • Recognition**

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    Mr. Sieff has received both local and national recognition for his commitment to clients and justice. Specific honors include:

    • Named one of "America's Top 100 High Stakes Litigators" by America's Top 100 Attorneys (2017)
    • Named a “North Star Lawyer” by the Minnesota State Bar Association for providing at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services (2015-2016)
    • Elected to the American Board of Trial Advocates, Member, Minnesota Chapter (2014)
    • Named a "Top Rated Lawyer in Personal Injury Law," American Lawyer Media (2013)
    • Named one of "Minnesota's Best Lawyers," Best Lawyers in America and Minnesota Monthly (2013)
    • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America (2012-2018 editions)
    • Named a "Litigation Star," Benchmark Litigation (2013 edition)
    • Selection by Minnesota Lawyer as one of its Attorneys of the Year (2008, 2016)
    • Voted a "Super Lawyer" of Minnesota law by his peers every year since 2000
    • Named to the "Minnesota Super Lawyers Top 100" list by Super Lawyers (2016-2017)
    • Designation as Co-lead Counsel for the I-35W Pro Bono Consortium
    • Recipient of the second annual "Pro Bono Award" from the American Association for Justice for securing a bridge fund for the victims, as well as assisting the investigation into the cause of the I-35W Bridge Collapse (2009)
    • Recipient of the "Arthur von Briesen Award," from the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, in recognition of his work following the I-35W Bridge Collapse (2010)
    • "Professional Excellence Award," from the Minnesota State Bar Association, awarded to a group of lawyers who represented survivors of the I-35W Bridge Collapse on a pro bono basis (2009)
    • Recipient of the "Leadership & Service Award," Cornell College (2012)
    • "Distinguished Alumni Award," Hamline University School of Law (2011)

    In addition, Mr. Sieff has been quoted in various media outlets both locally and nationally. His media appearances include The New York Times, USA Today, Associated Press, Minneapolis Star Tribune, St. Paul Pioneer Press, KSTP TV, WCCO Radio, Minnesota Public Radio and WCCO TV. He has also appeared in newspapers all across the Iron Range and North Dakota.

     
    **Being named to the list or receiving the award is not intended and should not be viewed as comparative to other lawyers or to create an expectation about results that might be achieved in a future matter.

  • Community Service

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    Phil Sieff was born in 1960 in St. Louis Park, Minnesota and raised in the Twin Cities. He went to Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa and graduated with honors from Hamline University Law School in St. Paul in 1985, where he also serves on the Alumni Board. He was admitted to the bar in 1985 and has been practicing law ever since. He is a husband, a father, owner of two champion Golden Retrievers, and an avid fisherman at his cabin at Lake Vermillion and throughout the rest of Northern Minnesota. As a life-long resident, he believes in giving back to the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota communities.

  • Resources

    Show All

    Articles

    • When Fire Strikes the Surgical Suite
      Minnesota Lawyer (November 11, 2013)
    • Wrongful Death Recoveries in the Era of the Modern Family
      Attorney at Law Magazine (April 11, 2013)
    • Aviation Issues Raised by the Asiana Airline Crash
      TRIAL (2013)
    • Drake v. Ryan Agreements – Are they Safe?
      Minnesota Trial (Spring 2012)
    • Minot, North Dakota, Train Derailment
      (February 25, 2002)
    • Are You Getting The Most For Your Car Insurance Dollars?
      (May 24, 1999)

    Legal Updates

    • The Robins Kaplan Justice Report - Vol. 11, No. 2
      (Spring 2017)
    • The Robins Justice Report - Vol. 7, No. 3
      (Fall 2013)
    • The Robins Justice Report - Vol. 6, No. 2
      (Fall 2012)
    • The Robins Justice Report - Vol. 6, No. 1
      (Spring 2012; Updated in April 2013)
    • The Robins Justice Report - Special Edition (The I-35W Bridge Collapse Memorial)
      (Summer 2011)
    • The Robins Justice Report - Vol. 5, No. 1
      (Spring 2011; Updated in April 2013)
    • The Robins Justice Report - Vol. 3, No. 3
      (Fall 2009; Updated in March 2013)

    News

    • Robins Kaplan Attorneys Named to 2018 Best Lawyers in America List; Three Receive “Lawyer of the Year” Designation
    • Robins Kaplan Minnesota Attorneys Recognized as 2017 “Super Lawyers” and “Rising Stars”
    • Attorneys of the Year: Philip Sieff, Katherine Barrett Wiik
    • Robins Kaplan LLP Attorneys Named to 2017 Best Lawyers in America List, Two Named “Lawyers of the Year”
    • Robins Kaplan Minnesota Attorneys Recognized as 2016 “Super Lawyers” and “Rising Stars”
    • Robins Kaplan LLP® Secures $8.55 Million Settlement in Precedent-Setting Case Against Minnesota Methadone Clinic
    • Thirty-Eight Robins Kaplan Attorneys Recognized as Best Lawyers in America© 2016
    • Minnesota Attorneys Recognized as 2015 “Super Lawyers” and “Rising Stars”
    • Attorneys Recognized for Pro Bono Advocacy
    • Brian Vander Lee Retains Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. Partners Philip Sieff and Chris Messerly
    • Parties Settle Auto Accident Case for $3.8M
    • Philip Sieff Receives Distinguished Alumni Award from Hamline University School of Law
    • Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. Partners Chris Messerly and Philip Sieff Honored with National Legal Aid & Defender Association's Arthur von Briesen Award
    • Minneapolis I-35W Bridge Survivors and Those Who Lost Loved Ones Recover More Than $40 Million
    • $7.4 million jury verdict on behalf of a widow and her children for the wrongful death of a 51-year-old man killed in a Cirrus plane crash near Hill City, Minnesota
    • Personal Injury Case Report: $3.1 million settlement after 18-year-old struck by boat while inner tubing
    • Four Awarded $1.86M in Derailment Damages
    • Victims' Fund Won't End I-35W Bridge Litigation
    • Lawyer Hero
    • URS To Pay $52 Million In 35W Case
    • Firm Receives National Law Journal's 2011 Pro Bono Award

    Speeches

    • Methadone and Opiate Addiction: Is the Cure as Bad as the Disease?
      South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association, Larchwood, South Dakota (May 11, 2017)
    • The I-35W Bridge
      University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, Minnesota (November 16, 2016)
    • Methadone and Opiate Addiction: Is the Cure as Bad as the Disease?
      Robins Kaplan Trial Advocacy Seminar, Minneapolis, Minnesota (October 13, 2016)
    • Maximizing Damages Seminar
      Minnesota Association for Justice (October 2013)
    • Representing People of Color: Lessons Learned from The Red Lake School Shooting, The I-35W Bridge Collapse, and Other Catastrophic Events
      North Dakota Association for Justice (May 2013)
    • Lessons Learned: Red Lake Shooting
      Minnesota Association for Justice (February 2013)
    • Maximizing Wrongful Death Damages
      Minnesota Association for Justice (2012)
    • Trials: How to Make or Break Your Case
      Minnesota Attorney General’s Office (June 2011)
    • Litigating Mass Tort Cases
      Hispanic National Bar Association, Minneapolis, Minnesota (September 8-11, 2010)
    • Physical Injuries, Loss of Physical Capabilities, Pain and Suffering
      Minnesota State Bar Association (2008)
    • Subrogation Seminar
      Minnesota Association for Justice (2008)
    • Advanced Expert Witness Deposition Tactics in Minnesota
      National Business Institute (2004)
    • Advanced Legal Training Course - Personal Injury
      NALS, The Association for Legal Professionals (2003)
    • The Evidence Factor - Spoliation of Evidence
      Minnesota State Bar Association (2003)
    • The Holidazzle Parade Trial- An Examination
      Minnesota Trial Lawyer Association Convention (2002)
    • Mold - Why Mold? Why Now? Evaluating the Case - A Reality Check
      Minnesota State Bar Association (2002)

    Video and Audio

    Video

    • “Leadership & Service Award” Acceptance Speech
      Close
      Robins Kaplan LLP

      “Leadership & Service Award” Acceptance Speech

      On October 6, 2012, attorney Philip Sieff was presented with the “Leadership & Service Award” from his alma mater, Cornell College.

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Any information that you send us in an e-mail message should not be confidential or otherwise privileged information. Sending us an e-mail message will not make you a client of Robins Kaplan LLP. We do not accept representation until we have had an opportunity to evaluate your matter, including but not limited to an ethical evaluation of whether we are in a conflict position to represent you. Accordingly, the information you provide to us in an e-mail should not be information for which you would have an expectation of confidentiality.

If you are interested in having us represent you, you should call us so we can determine whether the matter is one for which we are willing or able to accept professional responsibility. We will not make this determination by e-mail communication. The telephone numbers and addresses for our offices are listed on this page. We reserve the right to decline any representation. We may be required to decline representation if it would create a conflict of interest with our other clients.

By accepting these terms, you are confirming that you have read and understood this important notice.

© Copyright 2018 Robins Kaplan LLP All Rights Reserved. Attorney Advertising. Prior Results Do Not Guarantee A Similar Outcome.