Axley Brynelson

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.

R

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

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

• Full-service law firm
• Legal advisory services
• Business corporate law
• Litigation defense
• Construction law

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core 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

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Employers Counsel NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAxley 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/axleylawfirm
• Facebookfacebook.com/axleylawfirm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/111140

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Axley Brynelson