Ruder Ware LLSC

What Ruder Ware LLSC does

Ruder Ware, L.L.S.C. is a full-service Wisconsin law firm founded in 1920 by George L. Ruder and headquartered in Wausau, with additional offices in Eau Claire, Green Bay, and Wisconsin Rapids. The firm employs 100+ people, including 45+ attorneys, and delivers legal services through four practice groups (Business Transactions, Employment & Benefits, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, and Trusts & Estates) and five specialized focus teams (Agriculture, Banking & Financial Institutions, Elder Law, Health Care, and Manufacturing & Distribution). The underlying technology stack is limited to standard legal practice management and document management systems; no proprietary AI/ML, APIs, or product platforms are disclosed.

The firm serves three primary client segments: business clients (M&A, commercial contracts, corporate finance, business succession, employment matters), individual and family clients (estate planning, trust administration, probate, elder law, family office services), and vertical-industry clients spanning agriculture, banking, healthcare, manufacturing, and nonprofit organizations. Its service catalog spans 40+ discrete legal offerings, from antitrust and appeals through data privacy, immigration, IP, mediation, M&A, real estate, taxation, and warranty/product litigation. The firm is a member of the Meritas global alliance of 175+ law firms in 97 countries, providing cross-border referral capability.

Ruder Ware generates revenue through professional services fees billed hourly or at fixed-fee arrangements, invoiced monthly, with pricing not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, relying on referrals, community involvement (e.g., the Ruder Ware Cares program), content marketing through industry-specific blogs, and seminars. The firm is privately held as a Wisconsin limited liability service company with no identified parent, institutional investor, or external capital, and is governed by a Board of Directors with Matthew D. Rowe serving as President. No revenue figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

Ruder Ware LLSC

Legal name

Ruder Ware, L.L.S.C.

Website

https://ruderware.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Ruder Ware, L.L.S.C. is a full-service Wisconsin law firm founded in 1920, with 45+ attorneys across four state offices serving businesses, individuals, families, and vertical-industry clients in business transactions, litigation, employment, and trusts and estates matters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wausau

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: Hourly billing and fixed-fee arrangements for legal services across business transactions, litigation, estate planning, employment law, and other practice areas.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ruder Ware is a full-service Wisconsin law firm providing legal counsel and representation across business transactions, employment and benefits, litigation and dispute resolution, and trusts and estates. The firm delivers hourly-billed and fixed-fee legal services through four Wisconsin offices to businesses, individuals, and families, organized into four practice groups and five industry-specific focus teams covering agriculture, banking, elder law, healthcare, and manufacturing.

Product overview

Ruder Ware LLSC is a full-service Wisconsin law firm providing comprehensive legal services through multiple practice areas and specialized focus teams. The firm operates as a unified legal services platform offering over 40 distinct legal service offerings organized into practice groups (Business Transactions, Employment & Benefits, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, and Trusts & Estates) and five focus teams (Agriculture, Banking & Financial Institutions, Elder Law, Health Care, and Manufacturing & Distribution). The firm serves clients from four Wisconsin offices in Wausau, Eau Claire, Green Bay, and Wisconsin Rapids, providing business counseling, transactional services, litigation representation, and estate planning to businesses, individuals, and families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Transactions Legal Services Legal counsel for business entities covering formation, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and securities, commercial contracts, business succession planning, real estate and construction, taxation, and intellectual property. Clients include closely held businesses, startups, and established companies across Wisconsin.
• Employment & Benefits Legal Services Counsel for employers on employment contracts, employee handbooks, HR compliance training, employee benefits, executive compensation, employment litigation, immigration, and workers' mobility. Includes day-to-day human resources counseling and workplace policy development.
• Litigation & Dispute Resolution Services Representation in business litigation, commercial contract disputes, banking and financial services litigation, employment litigation, estate/trust/fiduciary litigation, real estate and construction litigation, health care litigation, product liability litigation, bankruptcy, antitrust, and tax controversies. Includes mediation and alternative dispute resolution services.
• Trusts & Estates Legal Services Estate planning, wills, trusts, powers of attorney, asset protection planning, probate and trust administration, fiduciary services, family office services, special needs planning, and medical assistance and long-term care planning. Includes elder law matters for individuals, families, and high-net-worth households.
• Agriculture Focus Team Specialized legal team serving agricultural clients including farms, agribusinesses, and food producers with farm succession planning, estate planning, contracts, employment law, environmental matters, and agriculture litigation.
• Banking & Financial Institutions Focus Team Specialized team serving financial institutions including banks, credit unions, and lenders with regulatory compliance, financial services matters, and banking litigation.
• Elder Law Focus Team Specialized team addressing elder law issues including long-term care planning, Medicaid eligibility, and elder abuse matters.
• Health Care Focus Team Specialized team serving healthcare providers with regulatory compliance, employment matters, healthcare litigation, and healthcare-specific legal issues.
• Manufacturing & Distribution Focus Team Specialized team serving manufacturing and distribution clients with business transactions, employment law, supply chain matters, and product liability/warranty litigation.

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MeritascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990Independent member of Meritas, a global alliance of over 175 business law firms in 97 countries. Founded as nonprofit in 1990, Meritas provides access to legal services in jurisdictions worldwide through prescreened member firms subject to annual review and recertification.
• United Way Brown CountyminorOthersCommunity partnership through Ruder Ware Cares program for distributing kits to nonprofits and schools in need.
• United Way Greater Chippewa ValleyminorOthersCommunity partnership for kit distribution and community support programs.
• United Way Marathon CountyminorOthersCommunity partnership for Ruder Ware Cares initiative.
• United Way South Wood & Adams CountiesminorOthersCommunity partnership for community support and kit distribution.
• PBS Wisconsin EducationminorOthersPartnership providing educational content and input for Ruder Ware Cares kits.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Michael Best & Friedrich LLP: Major Wisconsin-founded full-service law firm with offices in Milwaukee, Madison, and across the U.S. Comparable practice breadth to Ruder Ware (business, litigation, IP, employment) but operates at much larger scale with national and international reach.
• Quarles & Brady LLP: Large full-service Wisconsin-based law firm with offices in Milwaukee and Madison plus national reach. Directly comparable to Ruder Ware in serving Wisconsin businesses across business transactions, litigation, employment, and trusts & estates, but operates at materially larger scale with broader geographic footprint.
• Husch Blackwell LLP: National full-service law firm with a significant Midwest presence including Wisconsin. Overlapping with Ruder Ware in business transactions, litigation, employment, and healthcare practice areas but operating at a national scale with many more attorneys.
• Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C. (Husch Blackwell): Milwaukee-based full-service firm (now part of Husch Blackwell) historically serving Wisconsin businesses in banking, real estate, and corporate matters. Comparable Midwest regional competitor with overlapping agriculture, banking, and closely-held business practices to Ruder Ware's focus teams.
• Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. Milwaukee-based full-service law firm serving Wisconsin and Midwest clients across corporate, litigation, employment, and wealth planning. Comparable service mix to Ruder Ware with a stronger Milwaukee/Madison orientation and larger attorney headcount.
• Foley & Lardner LLP: Major Wisconsin-founded Am Law firm with national offices serving corporate, litigation, IP, and healthcare matters. Provides comparable higher-end business counsel to Ruder Ware's focus teams, particularly health care and manufacturing, but at substantially greater scale.

Direct peers

• Boardman & Clark LLP: Madison-based full-service Wisconsin law firm serving businesses, governments, and individuals. Comparable to Ruder Ware in breadth of practice (business, employment, litigation, real estate, trusts & estates) and focus on Wisconsin-based mid-market and institutional clients.
• Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. Milwaukee-headquartered full-service Wisconsin law firm serving business clients in corporate, litigation, employment, and trusts & estates matters. Closely comparable to Ruder Ware in service mix and Wisconsin-market focus, with a similar tier of mid-market and closely-held business clients.
• von Briesen & Roper, s.c. Wisconsin-based full-service law firm serving businesses, individuals, and family offices in corporate, litigation, estate planning, and employment matters. Directly comparable to Ruder Ware as a similarly sized regional peer serving Wisconsin closely-held businesses and high-net-worth families.
• Davis|Kuelthau, s.c. Wisconsin-based business law firm with offices in Milwaukee, Green Bay, Appleton, and Wausau - notably sharing the Wausau and Green Bay markets with Ruder Ware. Comparable in serving Wisconsin businesses with corporate, employment, litigation, and estate planning services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ruderware
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/810595

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ruder Ware LLSC