Ronald I. Meshbesher
Encyclopedia
Ronald I. Meshbesher is a prominent trial attorney and President of The Minnesota law firm Meshbesher & Spence. Mr. Meshbesher began practicing law at the age of twenty-four in the Hennepin County Attorney's Office as a prosecutor, where he tried forty-five felony cases in his first three years with a 92% conviction rate. He founded the law firm of Meshbesher & Spence in 1961. The Minneapolis Star Tribune called him "a dean of the Minnesota criminal-defense bar for 45 years"
In 1992 Mr. Meshbesher wrote theTrial Handbook for Minnesota Lawyers, 1992, a resource for trial lawyers.
He has also founded, served as President or Vice President for numerous legal associations such as the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
(1984–85) and the American Board of Criminal Lawyers.
The Joel and Ethan Coen
film A Serious Man
, a black comedy
, shot a scene at Mr. Meshbesher's Minneapolis law office and mentions "Ron Meshbesher" as an attorney on occasion.
The Elisabeth Congdon murder trial
The Piper kidnapping case. On July 27, 1972, Piper was kidnapped from her home in Orono, Minnesota and held for one million dollars ransom. At that time it was the largest ransom ever reported in the United States and the third largest in the world. Piper was found two days later, handcuffed and chained to a tree in the woods of Jay Cooke State Park
, near Duluth
. Five years later, the FBI arrested Kenneth Callahan and Donald Larson for the kidnapping. The two suspects were convicted, but an appeals court threw out the verdict. After that the men were later acquitted on retrial. The case was never solved. Piper died of cancer in 1988 at age 65.
The Dave Forbes
hockey assault trial. The result was a mistrial as the jury could not reach a verdict.
The Bicek bombing trial
The Dalkon Shield
fraud prosecution
The Carlos Vignali
drug trafficking trial. This case made the news again in 2001 when Carlos Vignali
had his federal prison sentence commuted by President of the United States Bill Clinton
just prior to leaving office, as a part of a group of commutations and pardons.
In 1992 Mr. Meshbesher wrote theTrial Handbook for Minnesota Lawyers, 1992, a resource for trial lawyers.
He has also founded, served as President or Vice President for numerous legal associations such as the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is an American criminal defense organization. Their stated mission is to "Ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime. Foster the integrity, independence and expertise of the criminal defense profession...
(1984–85) and the American Board of Criminal Lawyers.
The Joel and Ethan Coen
Coen Brothers
Joel David Coen and Ethan Jesse Coen known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers...
film A Serious Man
A Serious Man
A Serious Man is a 2009 dark comedy written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The film stars Michael Stuhlbarg as a Minnesota Jewish man whose life crumbles both professionally and personally, leading to questions about his faith...
, a black comedy
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
, shot a scene at Mr. Meshbesher's Minneapolis law office and mentions "Ron Meshbesher" as an attorney on occasion.
Some of Meshbesher's famous cases
Kronholm kidnapping caseThe Elisabeth Congdon murder trial
The Piper kidnapping case. On July 27, 1972, Piper was kidnapped from her home in Orono, Minnesota and held for one million dollars ransom. At that time it was the largest ransom ever reported in the United States and the third largest in the world. Piper was found two days later, handcuffed and chained to a tree in the woods of Jay Cooke State Park
Jay Cooke State Park
Jay Cooke State Park is a Minnesota state park located about ten miles southwest of Duluth, just outside the small town of Thomson. Jay Cooke is situated on the St...
, near Duluth
Duluth
Duluth may refer to:*Duluth, Minnesota*Duluth, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta*Duluth , an album by Trampled by Turtles*Duluth , by Gore Vidal...
. Five years later, the FBI arrested Kenneth Callahan and Donald Larson for the kidnapping. The two suspects were convicted, but an appeals court threw out the verdict. After that the men were later acquitted on retrial. The case was never solved. Piper died of cancer in 1988 at age 65.
The Dave Forbes
Dave Forbes
David Stephen Forbes is a retired Canadian ice hockey player.Signed as a free agent in 1973 by the Boston Bruins, Forbes made an impact as a defensive-minded forward as he helped guide the Bruins to the finals in 1974 during his rookie season, and to the finals in 1977...
hockey assault trial. The result was a mistrial as the jury could not reach a verdict.
The Bicek bombing trial
The Dalkon Shield
Dalkon Shield
The Dalkon Shield was a contraceptive intrauterine device developed by the Dalkon Corporation and marketed by the A.H. Robins Company. The Dalkon Shield was found to cause severe injury to a disproportionately large percentage of its users, which eventually led to numerous lawsuits in which...
fraud prosecution
The Carlos Vignali
Carlos Vignali
Carlos Anibal Vignali had his federal prison sentence commuted by President of the United States Bill Clinton just prior to leaving office, as a part of a group of commutations and pardons. At the time, he was serving the 6th of 15 years in prison for organized cocaine trafficking. Carlos Vignali's...
drug trafficking trial. This case made the news again in 2001 when Carlos Vignali
Carlos Vignali
Carlos Anibal Vignali had his federal prison sentence commuted by President of the United States Bill Clinton just prior to leaving office, as a part of a group of commutations and pardons. At the time, he was serving the 6th of 15 years in prison for organized cocaine trafficking. Carlos Vignali's...
had his federal prison sentence commuted by President of the United States Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
just prior to leaving office, as a part of a group of commutations and pardons.
External links
- Minnesota Law Firm of Meshbesher & Spence
- Larry King Live: Were Bill Clinton's Last-Minute Pardons Unpardonable? CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
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