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, 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. By 1970 the firm was beginning to grow substantially, and in 2001, after absorbing firms in Chicago and Washington, D.C., it was the 11th-largest firm in the United States.

In 1969 the firm adopted the name Foley & Lardner LLP and launched a succession of acquisitions to become a national law firm. The name refers to two name partners, both corporate lawyers: Leon Foley and Lynford Lardner Jr. Both Leon Foley and Lynford Lardner are credited with launching the law firm's large national expansion. Foley, who acted as a strategist in the development of Aurora Health Care System, which would become Wisconsin’s largest healthcare provider, died at 83 in 1978. Lardner, who also served as the president of the United States Golf Association, died after drowning in the Milwaukee River.

Lardner is survived by four grandchildren. 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".

In 2020, Foley & Lardner partner Cleta Mitchell aided Donald Trump in his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and pressure election officials to "find" votes for him to defeat the then Democratic Party candidate and eventual President of the United States, Joe Biden. Mitchell criticized Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, accusing him without evidence of saying things "that are simply not correct" about the presidential results in Georgia. She also claimed without evidence that dead people voted in the election. When confronted with why a Foley & Lardner partner was involved in aiding Trump in overturning the 2020 election, Foley & Lardner distanced itself from Mitchell. On January 5, 2021, Foley & Lardner announced that Mitchell had resigned.

In 2021 Foley & Lardner opened its 25th office, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The firm opened its 26th office in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2024, and its 27th office in Nashville, Tennessee in 2025.

Foley & Lardner's primary practice areas include intellectual property, business law, litigation, and regulatory. Notable clients of the firm include Johnson Controls, CVS, Harley Davidson, Major League Baseball, and Acciona.