Axley Brynelson
Axley LLP is a Wisconsin-based full-service law firm with 50+ attorneys across 15+ practice areas, serving individuals, businesses, municipalities, school districts, and healthcare providers from offices in Madison and Waukesha. Founded in 1885.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1885
- HeadquartersMadison, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Axley Brynelson does
Axley LLP, formerly Axley Brynelson, is a Wisconsin-based full-service law firm founded in 1885, headquartered in Madison with a second office in Waukesha. The firm operates 15+ dedicated practice groups spanning business and corporate law, litigation, construction, condemnation and eminent domain, environmental law, family law, criminal defense, healthcare, intellectual property, labor and employment, municipal and school law, personal injury, real estate, trusts and estates, and student issues — collectively covering over 100 practice areas. Axley serves a diverse client base including individuals, small business owners, multinational corporations, Wisconsin municipalities, school districts, healthcare providers (hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, assisted living facilities), and utilities, with significant work in condemnation (hundreds of easement transactions for major transmission line projects), school district defense (50+ districts), and healthcare regulatory compliance.
The firm is structured as a traditional partnership with no proprietary technology platform, no public API, and no mobile applications. Client-facing technology is limited to a ShareFile-based client portal providing 24/7 document access and standard email communication. The firm is privately held by its equity partners, with no parent company, no venture capital, and no private equity involvement. Ownership is distributed among partner attorneys, and the firm has maintained continuous independent operations since 1885.
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Axley Brynelson firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Axley Brynelson
- Legal name
- Axley LLP
- Website
- https://axley.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1885
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Axley LLP is a Wisconsin-based full-service law firm with 50+ attorneys across 15+ practice areas, serving individuals, businesses, municipalities, school districts, and healthcare providers from offices in Madison and Waukesha. Founded in 1885.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Axley Brynelson industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Legal Services
- NAICS
- Offices of Lawyers (54111), Offices of Lawyers (541110)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Real Estate & Construction Law (BPAHAAAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM), Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK)
Keywords
Where Axley Brynelson is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Madison
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Axley Brynelson business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Legal Services - Hourly Billing: Traditional hourly billing for legal services with blended hourly rates (same rate regardless of attorney experience level). This is the primary revenue model supplemented by alternative fee arrangements.
- Alternative Fee Arrangements: The firm offers multiple alternative fee arrangements including: fixed fees for specific matters, contingency fees (common in personal injury), partial contingency, fee caps for well-defined matters, monthly advice retainers, success fees, volume discounts, and hybrid arrangements combining multiple structures. This diversified approach allows the firm to serve various client needs and budget preferences.
- Contingency Fee (Personal Injury): For personal injury cases, the firm works on a pure contingency basis where clients pay nothing upfront and no fee is owed if there is no recovery. The firm advances litigation costs and expenses, reimbursed only upon successful recovery.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | Contingency Fee - Personal Injury: No upfront costs, fee is percentage of recovery |
| Subscription | Monthly | Hourly Billing with Blended Rates |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Fixed Fee Arrangements |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Fee Caps for Well-Defined Matters |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Advice Retainers |
| Subscription | Annual | Volume Discounts |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Axley Brynelson product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Axley LLP is a full-service Wisconsin law firm delivering legal representation across 15+ practice areas, including business/corporate/securities, condemnation and eminent domain, construction, criminal defense, environmental, family law and divorce, healthcare, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, municipal and school law, personal injury, real estate/zoning/land use/development, student issues/university discipline, and trusts and estates. Services are sold directly to clients (individuals, small businesses, school districts, municipalities, and multinational corporations) via attorney engagement, primarily under blended hourly billing with a menu of alternative fee structures.
Product overview
Axley LLP is a full-service Wisconsin law firm offering a unified portfolio of legal services across 15+ distinct practice areas. The firm provides comprehensive legal counsel to individuals, small business owners, and multinational corporations through its offices in Madison and Waukesha. The practice areas operate as integrated service lines that cross-refer and complement each other, enabling the firm to address complex client needs that span multiple legal domains—for example, combining business/corporate services with real estate and trusts/estates work, or integrating construction law with environmental and municipal services. The firm's legal services are delivered through attorneys organized by practice group, with no separate software product or technology platform offered.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Business, Corporate & Securities Legal Services Comprehensive legal services for business enterprises including organizational planning, finance, insurance, government permitting, real estate development, tax planning, mergers and acquisitions, and securities matters.
- Condemnation & Eminent Domain Legal Services Representation of utilities, municipalities, and acquiring agencies to obtain property rights throughout Wisconsin, including negotiations, litigation, and jury trial experience in condemnation matters.
- Construction Law Services Construction law practice covering transactions, litigation, architecture, building, real estate, engineering, transportation, and development matters; the largest collection of construction law attorneys in Wisconsin.
- Criminal Defense Legal Services Defense representation for cases ranging from drunk driving and assault to theft, homicide, and other serious felonies and misdemeanors in Wisconsin state and federal courts.
- Environmental Law Services Environmental legal services including regulatory compliance, air pollution, contaminated properties, Superfund, groundwater contamination, environmental litigation, and defense in enforcement actions.
- Family Law & Divorce Services Family law practice including divorce, child support, custody, alimony, property division, visitation, grandparent rights, collaborative divorce, and guardianship matters.
- Health Care Legal Services Counseling for hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and medical professionals on Stark law, Anti-kickback, HIPAA, Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement, government disputes, and health care transactions.
- Intellectual Property Legal Services IP services including federal trademark and copyright registration, license and assignment agreements, patent co-counseling, and IP enforcement through litigation.
- Labor & Employment Legal Services Management-side labor and employment law representation including collective bargaining, discrimination claims, employee benefits, OSHA matters, workers' compensation, and employment litigation.
- Litigation Services Civil litigation services spanning commercial disputes, insurance defense, medical malpractice, personal injury, premises liability, products liability, professional liability, and appellate practice.
- Municipal & School Legal Services Representation for Wisconsin municipalities and school districts in litigation, open records, civil rights claims, discrimination matters, and constitutional claims; represented more than 50 Wisconsin school districts.
- Personal Injury Legal Services Personal injury representation on contingency fee basis for car accidents, trucking accidents, dog bites, wrongful death, motorcycle accidents, and other injury matters throughout Wisconsin.
- Real Estate, Zoning, Land Use & Development Services Legal services for public and private sector clients on land use, zoning, environmental matters, eminent domain, real estate transactions, leasing, and development projects.
- Student Issues & University Discipline Services Defense for students facing civil citations, criminal charges, or academic sanctions including alcohol charges, drug possession, assault, and property damage matters.
- Trusts & Estates Services Estate planning, probate, trust administration, tax planning, and succession planning services for individuals and families.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100+ practice areas served from two Wisconsin offices
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Axley Brynelson
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Axley Brynelson technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Axley Brynelson partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Employers Counsel NetworkminorAxley is a member of the Employers Counsel Network, a professional organization of law firms representing employer interests in labor and employment matters. The network allows Axley to edit the Great Lakes Employment Law Letter, providing thought leadership and resource sharing in the employment law space.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Axley Brynelson competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Quarles & Brady: A long-standing Wisconsin-based full-service law firm with a Madison office, comparable in size and practice breadth to Axley, serving similar corporate, government, and healthcare clients across the Midwest.
- Foley & Lardner: Wisconsin-based law firm with a Madison office, offering comparable corporate, healthcare, and litigation services with a stronger national footprint, competing for the same Wisconsin enterprise clients.
- Husch Blackwell: Midwest-rooted law firm (formerly Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek) with a Madison office, comparable in size and practice mix, competing for Wisconsin corporate and government clients.
- Godfrey & Kahn: Milwaukee-headquartered Wisconsin law firm with similar practice area mix (business, litigation, healthcare, real estate) and comparable mid-market corporate client base.
- Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren: Milwaukee-based full-service law firm with overlapping practice areas in corporate, litigation, real estate, and healthcare - a direct competitor for Wisconsin-based corporate counsel work.
- DeWitt LLP: Wisconsin-based law firm with comparable practice areas including business law, litigation, real estate, and healthcare, competing for the same regional corporate and institutional clients.
- von Briesen & Roper: Wisconsin-founded full-service law firm with similar practice breadth in business, litigation, healthcare, and government, competing for institutional clients in Madison and Milwaukee.
- Stafford Rosenbaum: Madison-based law firm with comparable municipal, government, and corporate practice focus, directly competing for Wisconsin public sector and mid-market clients.
- Michael Best & Friedrich: Wisconsin-founded full-service law firm with strong regulatory, healthcare, and construction practices; directly competes with Axley for Wisconsin-based corporate and government clients.
Broad incumbents
- BakerHostetler: National law firm with a sizeable presence in Wisconsin; competes with Axley for healthcare regulatory and litigation work but at a much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Axley Brynelson social profiles
Digital presenceAxley Brynelson financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Axley Brynelson leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Axley Brynelson subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Axley Brynelson funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Axley Brynelson M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Axley Brynelson
What does Axley Brynelson do?
Axley LLP is a full-service Wisconsin law firm delivering legal representation across 15+ practice areas, including business/corporate/securities, condemnation and eminent domain, construction, criminal defense, environmental, family law and divorce, healthcare, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, municipal and school law, personal injury, real estate/zoning/land use/development, student issues/university discipline, and trusts and estates. Services are sold directly to clients (individuals, small businesses, school districts, municipalities, and multinational corporations) via attorney engagement, primarily under blended hourly billing with a menu of alternative fee structures.
Is Axley Brynelson a public or private company?
Axley Brynelson is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Axley Brynelson founded?
Axley Brynelson was founded in 1885. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Axley Brynelson based?
Axley Brynelson is headquartered in Madison, United States, in the North America region.
How does Axley Brynelson make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Legal Services - Hourly Billing is the primary driver. The others are alternative Fee Arrangements and contingency Fee (Personal Injury).
Who are Axley Brynelson's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Quarles & Brady, Foley & Lardner, Husch Blackwell, Godfrey & Kahn, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, DeWitt LLP, von Briesen & Roper, Stafford Rosenbaum and Michael Best & Friedrich. BakerHostetler is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Axley Brynelson have an API?
No public API is recorded for Axley Brynelson.
What industry is Axley Brynelson in?
Axley Brynelson's product category is Legal Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAAAE, Real Estate & Construction Law, with a secondary code of BPAHAAAM, Personal Injury & Insurance Defense. Its NAICS code is 54111 and its SIC code is 8111.