Austin native William Hart, a partner at the law firm Meagher & Geer in Minneapolis, was named Attorney of the Year for 2011 at a dinner sponsored by legal publication Minnesota Lawyer on Feb. 23.

The honorees were nominated by their peers and colleagues, clients, bar groups and judges.

Hart is a graduate of Austin High School in 1976 and Austin Community College in 1978. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1980 and University of Minnesota Law School in 1983.

He’s worked at Meagher & Geer for 29 years.

Hart’s focuses on appellate law, with an emphasis on appeals of insurance coverage and general litigation matters. He has handled close to 400 appeals in Minnesota courts, as well as in the state and federal appeals courts across the country.

Hart has previously been selected by his peers as a Super Lawyer in Minnesota Law & Politics magazine. He is also a Leading Attorney in a statewide survey conducted by American Research Corporation.