Attorney Charles “Bucky” Zimmerman has never shied away from taking on major cases. So far he has represented a range of clients from famed athletes George Foreman and Jim Brown, to clients in classes action lawsuits against major corporations such as Medtronic, Zicam, Target, and the NFL to name a few. Zimmerman and the firm he founded – Zimmerman Reed – has a proven track record having settled multiple $100 million and above cases.
Of Zimmerman’s many accomplishments throughout his career, he sees his victory against the tobacco industry as one that particularly stands out. In this case Zimmerman worked as part of the Castano group – a group of elite law firms that filed a class action lawsuit against the tobacco industry. This led to a historic settlement of more than $360 billion in June 1997.
Currently Zimmerman is currently involved in representing former players in the NCAA and NHL who have suffered the consequences of concussions while playing their respective sports. Already he has settled a case with the NFL for $765 million involving 4,500 former NFL players who have had concussions. These cases aim to help players who are at greater risk of brain related diseases such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other brain related disorders.
Over the past ten years Zimmerman has seen some changes in how law is practiced. “It’s transformed from a profession where professional courtesies were a matter of course to a business where business decisions begin to drive people’s behavior” says Zimmerman. He only seems to be adding on to his list of accomplishments though. With the release of the Minnesota Super Lawyers Magazine, Zimmerman can tack on his tenth selection to a Super Lawyers list. “It’s very nice being recognized for your work professionally and being put into a group with other lawyers who have been similarly recognized.”