Foley & Lardner

The oldest and largest law firm in Wisconsin, it was established in 1842 as Finch & Lynde. Its founders were Asahel Finch, Jr., a Republican and former Michigan state representative,[2] and William Pitt Lynde, a Democrat who later served in the United States House of Representatives, the Wisconsin state legislature, and as mayor of Milwaukee.[3][4] By 1970 the firm had changed its name 11 times, and was beginning to grow substantially.[5] In 2001, after absorbing firms in Chicago and Washington, D.C., it was the 11th largest firm in the United States.[6]

The firm's current name was adopted in 1969,[7] and refers to two name partners, both corporate lawyers: Leon Foley, who died at age 83 in 1978 after more than 50 years with the firm,[8] and Lynford Lardner, Jr., who died at age 58 in 1973 after drowning in the Milwaukee River.[9] When the firm merged with Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP in 2018, the plan -- (at least initially) -- was to use, in some cities, a firm name including the name partner name "Gardere"[10].

Foley & Lardner's primary practice areas include intellectual property, business law, litigation, and regulatory.

Notable clients of the firm include Johnson Controls, Harley Davidson, Major League Baseball, Nicholas Maduro Regime[11] and Acciona.

• Barack Obama, Former President of the United States, was a summer associate in the Chicago office
• Russ Feingold, Former United States Senator from Wisconsin, was an associate in the Madison office[12]
• Antonin Scalia, United States Supreme Court Justice, was a summer associate in the Milwaukee office[13]
• Jim Doyle, Former Governor of Wisconsin, is of counsel in the Madison office[14]
• Bob DuPuy, former president and chief operating officer of Major League Baseball, has been a partner in the Milwaukee and New York offices[15]
• Thomas E. Fairchild, Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Judge and Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, was an associate in the Milwaukee office from 1945 to 1948[16]
• Marcia Morales Howard, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, was an associate in the Jacksonville office[17]
• William Isaac, Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation from 1981 to 1985 and current Chairman of consulting firm LECG’s Global Financial Services
• Scott L. Klug, Former United States Congressman from Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district, is a public affairs director in the Madison office[7]
• William M. Conley, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, was a partner in the Madison office
• Joan F. Kessler, Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge and candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, was a partner in the Milwaukee office
• Lisa S. Neubauer, Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge, was a partner in the Milwaukee office[18]
• Ulice Payne, Jr., Former CEO of the Milwaukee Brewers and first African-American CEO of a Major League Baseball franchise, was a partner in the Milwaukee office
• Manuel Rocha, Former U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia (2000–02), is a Senior Advisor on International Business in the Miami office
• Fred Ridley, current Chairman of Augusta National.
• Brian Hagedorn, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice, worked at the Milwaukee office