Firm Profile & History

Our Profile

The world is changing. Litigation is changing. You need a civil litigation firm comprised of fearless innovators, charismatic industry leaders, and problem-solvers; lawyers who look forward to and embrace the future but remain grounded with deep roots extending back through generations of excellence. That firm is Cousineau Malone, P.A.

Cousineau Malone, P.A. is a full-service civil litigation firm with a rich history stemming from the civil litigation practice group of Cousineau McGuire Chartered, a premier insurance defense firm with origins dating back to 1948. For decades, the Cousineau name has represented a commitment to enduring relationships, effective legal solutions, and integrity of service. The attorneys of Cousineau Malone, P.A. now proudly carry that legacy into the future, combining innovation with age-old traditions to meet the challenges of today and the future.

Our attorneys represent insurers, self-insureds, third-party administrators, businesses, individuals, and professionals, through all phases of civil litigation in state, federal and appellate courts throughout the upper Midwest and beyond, as well as in pre-litigation analysis and claim resolution, arbitrations, and mediations.

From the more standard automobile or slip and fall cases to the complex commercial trucking, construction, premises, product, professional malpractice, employment, care facility, and insurance coverage matters, Cousineau Malone, P.A. has the expertise and experience to a work in partnership with our clients to achieve a successful result, whether through settlement, motions, or trial.

Cousineau Malone, P.A. is rightfully proud of its legal skills, trial experience, and decades of partnership with clients. In addition, Cousineau Malone, P.A. is particularly proud to stand outside the norm for civil litigation firms in terms of gender equity and the promotion and retention of women in leadership roles; five of its six shareholders are women.

Cousineau Malone, P.A. is collaborative and staffs its cases with a team approach to ensure all cases are addressed with high level skills, costs savings, responsiveness, and legacy planning for our clients. Having worked closely together for many years, some for nearly forty years, the attorneys, paralegals and legal assistants of Cousineau McGuire’s Civil Litigation practice group brought those enduring relationships to CVMM and into Cousineau Malone, P.A. where they remain committed to providing our clients with the same quality, dedicated, and effective legal services they have come to trust and expect for decades.

Professional Affiliations and Recognitions:

Our lawyers are members of the following legal and industry organizations:

American Board of Trial Advocates
Litigation Counsel of America
Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association
North Dakota Defense Lawyers Association
Defense Research Institute (DRI)
American Bar Association
Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA)
Transportation Lawyers Association
Minnesota Trucking Association
Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association
Conference of Freight Counsel
Care Providers of Minnesota
Academy of Civil Trial Lawyers of America
Natural Gas Claims & Litigation Association

Many of our attorneys are consistently named among the Best Lawyers in America, Minnesota Super Lawyers and Minnesota Rising Stars.

Our History

Cousineau Malone, P.A. was founded in 2016 as Cousineau, Van Bergen, McNee & Malone, P.A. but its roots extend back decades as the Civil Litigation practice group of Cousineau McGuire Chartered.

The origins of Cousineau McGuire Chartered date back to 1948, when Roy Mordaunt, a member of Minnesota’s then-largest insurance defense firm of Sexton, Mordaunt, Kennedy and Carroll, started a new firm with his son called Mordaunt & Mordaunt. Roy’s granddaughter and John’s daughter, Barbara Burke, would eventually become an attorney at Cousineau McGuire Chartered and would serve as that firm’s president from 1998 to 2000, making her one of the earliest female law firm leaders in the region, and solidifying Cousineau McGuire’s tradition of including a high percentage of female attorneys within its ranks – a practice which continues at Cousineau Malone, P.A.

The Mordaunts’ firm was an actual partnership that endured for decades, as partners were added, senior partners retired, and newer partners took over the firm’s business. The firm’s practice included both civil litigation and worker’s compensation, and, initially, the firm’s attorneys practiced in both areas. Over time, however, as the firm grew and the practice areas became more defined, two distinct practice groups were delineated: the Civil Litigation practice group, and the Worker’s Compensation practice group.

In the 1950s, the attorneys who would later serve as mentors to Cousineau Malone P.A.’s founding partners joined Mordaunt’s firm: Henry Cousineau, in 1955; and Robert McGuire, in 1959. In 1964, the firm changed its name to Mordaunt, Walstad, Cousineau & McGuire; and, with the addition of Craig Anderson and Steve Shaughnessy as partners in 1972, the firm became known as Cousineau, McGuire, Shaughnessy & Anderson. The firm continued operating as such until 1990, when it adopted the name of Cousineau, McGuire & Anderson Chartered; and the firm was then renamed to Cousineau McGuire Chartered in 2005.

In 2016, the two individually successful practice groups of Cousineau McGuire made the difficult but considered decision to split into two new firms.

The Civil Litigation practice group – attorneys, secretaries, and paralegals alike – became Cousineau, Van Bergen, McNee & Malone, P.A.. In the ensuing years, through the strength of its relationships – both with clients and with peers – CVMM continued its heritage of reliable, responsive, and effective legal representation.

In 2023, we celebrate the Cousineau firm’s 75th anniversary and CVMM’s name change to Cousineau Malone, P.A.

Roy (left) and John (right) Mordaunt

Henry A. Cousineau

Robert J. McGuire

Craig H. Anderson

Early employment agreement from Cousineau.