Ronald I. Meshbesher (May 18, 1933 – June 13, 2018) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solici ...

and the founder and president of the

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

law firm Meshbesher & Spence.

Early life and career

Upon graduating from the

University of Minnesota Law School The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Patent Law ( ...

, Meshbesher began practicing law at the age of 24 in the

Hennepin County Hennepin County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its county seat is Minneapolis, the state's most populous city. The county is named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. The county extends from Minneap ...

Attorney's Office as a

prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal tria ...

, where he tried 45 felony cases in his first three years with a 92% conviction rate. He founded the law firm of Meshbesher & Spence in 1961. The

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...

'' Star Tribune'' called him "a dean of the Minnesota criminal-defense bar for 45 years". In 1992 Mr. Meshbesher wrote the ''Trial Handbook for Minnesota Lawyers''. He also founded or served as president or vice president of numerous legal associations, including the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) is an American criminal defense organization. Members include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, active U.S. military defense counsel, law professors, judges, and d ...

(1984–85) and the American Board of Criminal Lawyers. he died of Alzheimer's disease in Minnesota on June 13 2018.

In popular culture

The

Joel and Ethan Coen Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...

film ''

A Serious Man ''A Serious Man'' is a 2009 American black comedy-drama film written, produced, edited and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Set in 1967, the film stars Michael Stuhlbarg as a Minnesota Jewish man whose life crumbles both professionally and ...

'' shot a scene at Meshbesher's Minneapolis law office and mentions "Ron Meshbesher" as an attorney in the film.

References

External links

Minnesota Law Firm of Meshbesher & Spence
CNN Transcript {{DEFAULTSORT:Meshbesher, Ronald I. 1933 births 2018 deaths Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Minnesota Lawyers from Minneapolis Writers from Minneapolis University of Minnesota Law School alumni 20th-century American lawyers Neurological disease deaths in Minnesota