Michael Best
Michael Best & Friedrich LLP is a U.S. business law firm founded in 1848 and operating under the Michael Best brand.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, commonly known as Michael Best, is a U.S. national law firm serving businesses, public-sector organizations, entrepreneurs, and other institutional clients. The firm traces its origins to 1848, when Wisconsin trial attorney Edward George Ryan established the practice. Ryan later became chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, giving the firm an early connection to Wisconsin's legal and public institutions. Over more than 170 years, Michael Best developed from a Wisconsin practice into a broader full-service business law firm. Its growth took place through geographic expansion and combinations with other practices, allowing it to build a multioffice presence in the United States. Reference material describes the firm as having more than 400 legal professionals, including more than 300 attorneys, across 18 domestic offices. The firm works primarily on matters connected with U.S. businesses and institutions while also assisting clients with cross-border issues through international legal networks. Its practice scope covers corporate and transactional work, government relations, public policy, political law, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, privacy and cybersecurity, real estate, regulatory matters, tax, and estate planning. This range positions Michael Best as a full-service business law provider rather than a specialist boutique. The firm’s practices address both operational legal needs, such as employment, contracts, property, and data protection, and strategic matters, such as transactions, regulatory engagement, public policy, and intellectual-property protection. Michael Best supplements its domestic platform through affiliations with organizations including Lex Mundi, the Employment Law Alliance, and the American Property Tax Counsel. These relationships give the firm access to collaborating lawyers in other jurisdictions and to specialist networks in employment law and property taxation. They are particularly relevant for clients with multinational operations, distributed workforces, or substantial real-estate portfolios. The firm remains privately held and is not represented as a publicly traded company in the available reference material. Its brand is associated with long institutional continuity, broad commercial legal capabilities, and a Wisconsin-rooted practice that has expanded into a national platform. Available material does not identify a single current managing partner, chief executive, or other firmwide executive, so leadership details are left unspecified.
History
Michael Best & Friedrich LLP traces its history to 1848, when Edward George Ryan founded a Wisconsin legal practice. Ryan was a trial attorney who later served as chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1874 to 1880. His judicial and legal career established an early institutional association between the firm and Wisconsin's courts and public life. The practice subsequently expanded beyond its original base. Over the course of more than a century and a half, it grew through a combination of geographic expansion, office development, and mergers. These changes transformed the organization from a small Wisconsin practice into a national business law firm. The firm's modern identity is generally shortened to Michael Best, although its formal name remains Michael Best & Friedrich LLP. The firm's present platform is described as having more than 400 legal professionals, including over 300 attorneys, in 18 domestic offices. Its work spans corporate law, government relations, public policy, political law, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, privacy and cybersecurity, real estate, regulatory matters, tax, and estate planning. This practice mix reflects a full-service business model serving companies and institutions across a range of industries and stages of development. Michael Best has also developed an international reach through affiliations rather than through a separately described global office network. It is associated with Lex Mundi, a network of independent law firms; the Employment Law Alliance, focused on employment and labor law; and the American Property Tax Counsel, a national affiliation specializing in property-tax advice. These relationships allow the firm to coordinate with lawyers outside the United States and to provide clients with access to specialized or jurisdiction-specific counsel. The available reference material does not provide a complete chronology of office openings, mergers, leadership transitions, or later strategic decisions. It also does not identify current firmwide executives. Accordingly, the documented history is anchored by the firm's 1848 founding, its long-term expansion from Wisconsin into a national platform, and its continuing role as a broad-based U.S. business law firm.
- 1880
End of Edward George Ryan's chief-justice tenure
[1]Edward George Ryan's tenure as chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court concluded, while the firm continued its longer institutional development.
- 1874
Founder becomes chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
[1]Edward George Ryan began his service as chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, a role he held until 1880.
- 1848
Founding of the firm
[1]Edward George Ryan founded the legal practice in Wisconsin, establishing the organization that later became Michael Best & Friedrich LLP.
Expansion into a national law firm
[1]Over more than 170 years, the practice expanded across Wisconsin and the United States through office growth, mergers, and other combinations.
Products and positioning
A long-established U.S. business law firm combining a Wisconsin origin with a national office network and broad corporate, regulatory, litigation, employment, intellectual-property, and public-policy capabilities.
Legal services
Corporate and transactional services
Michael Best advises businesses on corporate matters and transactions as part of its full-service commercial offering. The available reference material identifies corporate work as one of the firm's primary practice areas, but does not provide a detailed breakdown of specific transaction types or sector programs.
Public-sector and regulatory legal services
Government relations, public policy, and political law
The firm provides advice involving government relations, public policy, and political law. These practices address clients' interactions with public institutions and legal requirements affecting political and governmental activity. The source material does not specify particular lobbying campaigns or policy matters.
Legal services
Intellectual property
Intellectual-property work is one of Michael Best's primary practice areas. The practice supports the legal protection and use of intangible assets, although the available source does not enumerate specific patent, trademark, copyright, or trade-secret services.
Employment law
Labor and employment
Michael Best represents and advises clients on labor and employment matters. The practice is part of the firm's core business-law platform and is complemented by the firm's affiliation with the Employment Law Alliance, an international network of employment and labor law firms.
Dispute resolution
Litigation
Litigation is a principal Michael Best practice area. The firm provides dispute-related legal services for business and institutional clients, but the supplied reference does not identify specific litigation specialties, landmark cases, or representative matters.
Technology and data law
Privacy and cybersecurity
The privacy and cybersecurity practice addresses legal issues associated with personal information, data governance, and cyber risk. It forms part of the firm's broader commercial and regulatory offering. Specific incident-response products or technology-sector programs are not detailed in the available material.
Specialized legal services
Real estate, regulatory, tax, and estate planning
Michael Best provides legal services in real estate, regulatory matters, tax, and estate planning. These practices broaden the firm's support for companies, property owners, executives, families, and other clients. The firm's affiliation with the American Property Tax Counsel connects it with a specialized national property-tax network.
Sources4 sources
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