Patrick M. Ryan
MILWAUKEE, WI, August 22, 2007 -- It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the death of Patrick M. Ryan, our Chairman and Managing Partner. Pat was 63 and died after a brief illness with his family at his side.
Pat joined Quarles and Brady in 1970 after graduating from Marquette University Law School, where he served as Editor-in Chief of the Law Review. He built a distinguished practice by providing knowledgeable legal counsel and a high level of personal service to a variety of corporate clients. In addition to his legal skills, Pat had excellent business sense; a prominent Milwaukee bank executive once described him as "a businessman who happens to be a lawyer." Among the clients Pat served through the years were Fox River Paper Company, Fox Valley Corporation, M&I Bank, The Manitowoc Company, Mason Wells, Metavante, We Energies and Weyco Group.
Pat was elected as the Firm's Managing Partner in 2002 and had been involved with the management side of Quarles & Brady since 1985. Under his leadership as Chairman and Managing Partner, the firm has grown to its current size of approximately 440 attorneys and 520 support staff in six offices in Wisconsin, Illinois, Arizona and Florida, and was ranked by the
National Law Journal as the 95th largest law firm in the nation in 2006.
While Pat will leave a lasting legacy for his professional accomplishments, many of us will miss our friend, Pat Ryan, who regardless of position or power seemed to know everyone's name and cared about every person in the Quarles & Brady family.
Pat was a presence. His large stature and booming voice belied a sensitive side that cared deeply about people. 'We are in a people business,' Pat would say and it was that philosophy that prompted Pat to start the Firm's Diversity Committee six years ago before it was commonplace at law firms.
The grandson of Irish immigrants, Pat was a good and decent man with a common touch who understood the challenges faced by those who aspire to greater inclusion in the business community. This was the driving force in his personal commitment to creating equal opportunities for everyone in his own firm, and in his desire to attract non-attorney employees from all kinds of backgrounds. Under Pat's leadership, Quarles & Brady became recognized nationwide as one of the leading law firms in supporting and furthering diversity and equal opportunity.
Pat is survived by his wife Holly and their four children: Rebecca (Keith) Martin, Brendan Ryan, Abigail (Sebastian) Stanley, and Lucas Ryan. In addition, he had great pride in his five grandchildren: Henry and Joseph Martin, Beyonce Williams, and Calia and Daijah Stanley.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Marquette
University Law School-Patrick M. Ryan
Scholarship Fund designed to assist minority law students at
Marquette University. The mailing address is P.O. Box 1881, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881.
For biographical information about Pat, please
click here.