James Friedman

Experienced legal counsel on financial and business matters across varied industries

Jim Friedman provided legal counsel to clients in challenging legal, financial and business matters for more than 40 years. He represented clients with diverse businesses including a nationally recognized health care system, the independent directors of a Major League Baseball franchise, a German auto parts manufacturer, an educational opportunity foundation and one of America's most recognized universities, to name a few.

He was well-known for his representation of banks in Wisconsin and for his experience in dealing with federal and state bank regulators. His in-depth knowledge of the banking industry and his creative approach to navigating legal issues resulted in several first-of-a-kind transactions for his bank clients. Jim represented clients in a vast array of industries such as:

• Financial institutions of all types and sizes and their holding companies, in all aspects of their business, including regulatory, merger and acquisition, corporate and securities matters
• Manufacturers, service businesses and health care providers in a full array of corporate, transactional and international matters
• Businesses, boards of directors and independent directors or committees of directors in corporate governance, audit or transactional matters
• Family-owned businesses and successful entrepreneurs, ranging from the auto industry to the banking industry

Whether the client was a multi-billion-dollar, publicly owned bank holding company, a community bank or a family business, his clients received responsive, reliable advice to guide them through their legal needs.

Jim was chair of the Quarles Financial Institutions team and a director and past member of the executive and audit committees of the Wisconsin Association of Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC).