Richard D. O'Dea
Rich O'Dea is a life-long resident of St. Paul, Minnesota. He received his B.S. degree in Government from St. John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota, in 1988, and his J.D. degree from Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1991. For the first nine years of his practice he was a sole practitioner with the O'Dea Law Office in Roseville, Minnesota, engaged in the general practice of law with an emphasis on plaintiff's personal injury and insurance matters. Since 2000 he has been in partnership with Ralph Palmer.
Mr. O'Dea has an extensive personal injury practice and has successfully represented a variety of clients in claims involving automobile/motorcycle accidents, liquor liability, insurance coverage disputes, sexual abuse, assault/battery, medical malpractice, and work-related accidents. Other practice areas include small business and contract disputes, appeals and general civil litigation matters.
Mr. O’Dea is one of only several hundred attorneys certified by the Minnesota State Bar Association as a “Civil Trial Specialist.” Since 2005, Mr. O'Dea has been chosen by his peers for inclusion in Minnesota Law & Politics magazine as a "Super Lawyer" (top 5%). Mr. O'Dea is licensed to practice law in the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin, and is admitted to the federal bar for the District of Minnesota and Western District of Wisconsin. He is a member of the Minnesota Association for Justice, the American Association for Justice, the Minnesota State Bar Association and the Wisconsin State Bar Association. Mr. O'Dea also serves as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association No-Fault Panel. Mr. O'Dea also serves as an investigator for the Second Judicial District Ethics Committee in Ramsey County.
Education
- Law (Juris Doctorate), Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1991.
- Government (B.S.), St. John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota, 1988;
- Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, 1984 - 1985;
Bar Memberships
- Minnesota Bar - Admitted on October 25, 1991
- Minnesota Federal Bar - Admitted on November 25, 1991
- Wisconsin Bar - Admitted on June 18, 1997
- Wisconsin Federal Bar (Western District) - Admitted on June 19, 2007
Groups and Associations
- American Association for Justice (AAJ; formerly ATLA)
- Minnesota Association for Justice (MAJ; formerly MTLA)
- Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA)
- American Arbitration Association No-Fault Panel
Certifications
- Civil Trial Specialist, as certified by the Minnesota State Bar
August 2006 - Present
Honors and Awards:
- Minnesota Super Lawyers 2009
- Minnesota Super Lawyers 2008
- Minnesota Super Lawyers 2007
- Minnesota Super Lawyers 2006
- Minnesota Super Lawyers 2005
- Minnesota Rising Stars 2005
AV® Rated
Employment History:
- O'Dea Law Office - Sole Practitioner / Founder
1991 through 2000
Upon graduating from law school, Rich started his own general practice law firm. He represented client in a variety of matters including personal injury, insurance, family, and contract disputes. - Palmer, Cody & O'Dea, LLC - Partner / Founder
2000 through 2007
Rich, Ralph and another attorney established a four attorney law firm and continued to represent clients in personal injury, insurance and other civil litigation matters - Palmer ∙ O'Dea, LLC - Partner / Founder
2007 through Present
Rich and Ralph re-organized their previous law firm in order to enhance their representation of their personal injury, insurance, and civil litigation clients. Rich also continues to manage the day-to-day business affairs of the law firm.
Representative Cases
- Ge Lee v. McWillie Hunt
642 N.W.2d 57; 2002 Minn. App. Lexis 353 (2002).Issue: Did Minn. Stat. § 65B.51, subd. 1 (2000) [Deduction of Collateral Benefits From Tort Recovery; Limitation on Right to Recover Damages], the No-Fault Collateral Source statute, require reductions to Client’s favorable jury verdict?
Held: No reductions to jury verdict required.
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State Fund Mutual Insurance Co., et al. v. Jack Mead, et al.
691 N.W.2d 495; 2005 Minn. App. Lexis 100 (2005).Issue: Did Minn. Stat. § 176.061, subd. 8a (2004), the Workers’ Compensation third-party liability statute, allow a insurer to intervene in Client’s personal injury action in order to protect its subrogated interest prior to approval of Client’s $296,000 settlement.
Held: Worker’s compensation insurer allowed to intervene.
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West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. v. Allstate Insurance Company, et al.
2009 Minn. Lexis 927.Issue: Does Client’s personal automobile insurance policy or business insurance policy afford him underinsurance motorist coverage pursuant to Minn. Stat. §65B.49, subd. 3a(5) (2006), the mandatory automobile insurance coverage statute.
Held: Client’s personal automobile insurance policy provides $200,000 of excess underinsurance coverage, in addition to primary underinsurance and liability benefits of $200,000 collected from other insurance sources.