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Attorneys

William A. LeMire 
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Shareholder
Chair, Insurance Coverage Practice Group
phone 612 375-5993 (Direct Dial)
866 435-5752 (Toll-free)
fax 612 339-7655
email Email Me

William LeMire's litigation and trial practice includes Catastrophic Property Losses, Fire and Explosion Losses, Product Liability Defense and Insurance Coverage. He has extensive experience in civil litigation, trials, and arbitrations.

His practice includes investigating and litigating large property and business losses involving fires, explosions, floods, and any manner of industrial catastrophe. Bill's product liability practice has included roles as national defense counsel for recreational and industrial product manufacturers. He has tried or litigated multimillion-dollar cases around the country. He has obtained numerous summary judgments and nominal settlement resolutions for product manufacturers.

Bill has been a guest speaker on several litigation topics including fire cause and origin investigations, NFPA 921, Daubert/expert testimony exclusion, and the unconditional need for honor and civility in the adversarial process. He is General Counsel for the International Association of Arson Investigators. In that capacity, he provides advice and counsel to the IAAI, an association consisting of approximately 7500 of the best fire-explosion investigation professionals in the world. He is also an instructor on courtroom testimony for the Fire Origin and Cause investigator training course taught by the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives) Academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. He is certified as a 29 CFR 1910.120(q) Hazardous Materials Technician (ProBoard).

Representative Cases

Served as lead counsel for a property insurer in a product liability case arising out of the Ford Motor Company Rouge Power Plant explosion of February 1, 1999.  The arbitration trial resulted in a substantial but confidential recovery for our property insurer client arising out of a $300,000,000 property loss.

Served as lead defense counsel for a large Minnesota manufacturer in a product liability case arising from catastrophic injuries to a professional game hunter in Africa.  The case alleged deficiencies in the design and manufacturing of the client's largest revenue-generating product.  All claims were eventually dismissed with prejudice following a summary judgment entered by the Minnesota Federal District Court.  The case included numerous depositions taken in Tanzania, Africa.

Served as lead defense counsel for a large Wisconsin designer-manufacturer of building materials in a case alleging deficiencies in the design and manufacturing of the product line.  The case was dismissed at the summary judgment stage.

Served as part of counsel team analyzing insurance coverage issues and providing opinions on losses arising from the 9-11-01 attack on World Trade Center.

Areas of Practice:
Fires, Explosions & Property Damage
Insurance Coverage Litigation
Product Liability
Bar Admissions:
Minnesota, 1989
U.S. District Court District of Minnesota, 1989
U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois, 1990
U.S. District Court Southern District of Georgia, 1995
U.S. District Court Western District of Michigan, 1996
U.S. District Court District of Colorado, 1999
U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit, 2007
U.S. Supreme Court, 1996
Education:
William Mitchell College of Law, St Paul, Minnesota, 1989
J.D.
Honors: Magna Cum Laude


University of St. Thomas, 1985
B.A.


Published Works:
Minnesota Commercial General Liability Policy: Annotated, Co-Author, Arthur, Chapman, Kettering, Smetak & Pikala, P.A., 2008


Classes/Seminars Taught:
"Insurance Coverage for Product Recalls Under CGL Policies", Arthur, Chapman, Kettering, Smetak & Pikala, P.A., August 7, 2008


"Insurance Coverage for Product Recalls Under CGL Policies", Arthur, Chapman, Kettering, Smetak & Pikala, P.A., June 19, 2008


What to Do When Construction Projects Go Bad in Minnesota, Lorman Education Services, January 15, 2008


Professional Associations and Memberships:
International Association of Arson Investigators
General Counsel


Amercian Bar Association


Minnesota Bar Association


Defense Research Institute (DRI)


The Federalist Society


St. Thomas More Society


Arthur, Chapman, Kettering, Smetak & Pikala, P.A.
500 Young Quinlan Building, 81 South Ninth Street Minneapolis, Minnesota (MN) 55402
Phone 866 435-5752 | Fax 612 339-7655 | Email Us | Clients Only