When/how did your company begin?
von Briesen & Roper, s.c. was founded in 1904 by Ernst von Briesen, a 1903 graduate of Harvard Law School. Ernst opened his practice in Milwaukee in January 1904 and displayed a window sign that read “Advocate”. His first cases included a $13.00 collection case and several small claims cases. As his practice grew, he gravitated toward wills and probate and taught those subjects at Marquette University Law School. From these roots, von Briesen has grown to seven offices throughout Wisconsin and in Chicago with over 180 professionals serving our clients and communities.
What challenge have you learned the most from?
For many of us the recent pandemic was probably the biggest challenge we have faced in our careers and possibly our lifetime. The challenges started with pivoting to all remote work over the course of one weekend and continued with worrying about the health and safety of our workforce; helping our clients with issues they never faced before; and guiding our firm through issues we had never faced before. We learned to innovate and adapt in real time to take care of our employees and meet the needs of our clients.
Talk about your oldest and/or newest employees.
We take great pride in being named both a Top Workplace and a Best Places to Work and we love talking about what makes us great … our people. Some of our attorneys and staff have been with von Briesen for their entire careers. Every year we put together a book honoring those celebrating a work anniversary, which we call “Honoring Commitment to Excellence”. We begin honoring at 10 years and have recognized employees for up to 45 years of service. Our people are our greatest asset and this is one of the many ways we honor them.
What opportunities/challenges do you see on the horizon for your company?
We are truly excited for the next 120 years and see tremendous opportunities for growth in several practice areas and as a Firm: 1) real estate development involving some of the biggest development and redevelopment projects in the area, including eminent domain, workforce housing, TIF/TID development and construction issues; 2) high-stakes litigation with matters ranging from class actions to environmental cleanup and shareholder disputes; and 3) continued strategic recruiting of great lawyers in the locations and practice areas where our clients’ needs take us.
von Briesen & Roper, s.c.
411 East Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1000
Milwaukee, WI 53202
vonbriesen.com
414.276.1122
