Laura A Brenner

Laura A. Brenner

Shareholder

Milwaukee
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Laura Brenner is a shareholder in Reinhart’s Litigation Practice and chair of the firm’s Commercial and Competition Law Group, a cross-disciplinary team of corporate and litigation attorneys who work together to solve problems. She and her team practice at the forefront of the laws affecting supply chain matters. Laura is a litigator but regularly serves as outside general counsel to a wide range of domestic and international companies, taking a business-focused approach aimed at developing preemptive strategies to avoid risk and support informed business decision-making.

She advises a wide range of businesses on the legal and strategic issues that arise in complex commercial relationships, with a focus on antitrust and competition law, distribution and supply chain arrangements, dealer and franchise relationships, advertising and marketing practices, and unfair competition.

Laura represents clients in litigations and arbitrations involving contract performance and termination, competitive conduct, and regulatory compliance, and helps clients avoid disputes and litigation by structuring, drafting, and negotiating a wide range of commercial agreements, including distribution, franchise, dealer and licensing agreements, and in advising on compliance with contracts and applicable law.

In addition, Laura provides in-house training and frequently speaks to business and legal audiences on dealership and franchise laws (including the Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law), sales representative laws, antitrust and competition laws, pricing, advertising, trade regulation, warranties, and contract issues. She is also well versed in online sales policies and procedures and often presents on internet distribution topics such as Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policies, social media policies, and broader supply chain related issues.

Education

  • J.D., magna cum laude, University of California College of the Law, San Francisco; Order of the Coif
  • B.S., with distinction, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Phi Beta Kappa

Bar Admissions

Wisconsin

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Iowa
  • U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota
Practices
Services

Matters

  • Conducting antitrust compliance sessions and preparing antitrust compliance materials for a variety of regional, national and global clients.
  • Representing one of the nation's largest chocolate producers. A former sales representative claimed exclusive rights to business in Mexico and sued the company in California alleging a long list of statutory, tort and contract violations. Won a no-liability decision for our client
  • Representing a client who paid more than $1 billion to acquire a competitor and unknowingly acquired a problem with disgruntled dealers who claimed hundreds of millions of dollars of the client's historical sales into their "exclusive" territories. Persuaded the Federal District Court to grant summary judgment to our client, rejecting the dealers' argument and avoiding a six-week jury trial
  • Successfully defending the component supplier to one of the world's largest crane manufacturers. The crane manufacturer claimed that our client supplied out-of-spec components resulting in the recall of an entire fleet of construction equipment. In addition to defeating the claim, an attorney's fee award was won for the client
  • Successfully represented a leading producer of snacks and refreshments, helping it defeat a wrongful termination claim filed by one of its sales agents. The agent argued that its contract should be interpreted to preclude the company from ever terminating their business relationship without a substantial showing of cause. The court dismissed the claims and awarded summary judgment for the client. Continued to structure dealer and distributor agreements that will help minimize the threat of future disputes
  • Frequently presents to the business community, particularly on topics of the Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law, antitrust and contract issues relating to the sale of goods

Examples of Laura's cases include:

  • L'Eft Bank Wine Co. v. Bogle Vineyards, Inc., Business Franchise Guide (CCH) ¶ 16,862 (Wis. Cir. Ct. Dane Cnty. Apr. 26, 2021)
  • SD3 II LLC v. Black & Decker (U.S.) Inc., Nos. 16-2317, 16-2354, 2018 WL 1866994 (4th Cir. Apr. 19, 2018)
  • SD3, LLC and SawStop, LLC v. Black & Decker (U.S.), Inc., et al., No. 14-C-191, 2016 WL 6093488 (E.D. Va. October 18, 2016)
  • Priority Envtl. Sols., Inc. v. Stevens Co., No. 15-CV-871-JPS, 2015 WL 9274016 (E.D. Wis. Dec. 18, 2015)
  • DXP Enters., Inc. v. Goulds Pumps, Inc., No. H-14-1112, 2014 WL 5682465 (S.D. Tex. Nov. 4, 2014)
  • Orchard Supply Hardware LLC v. Home Depot USA, Inc., No. 12CV06361, 2013 WL 5289011 (N.D. Cal Sept. 19, 2013)
  • Avon HiLife Inc. v. Lauren Agrisystems Ltd, 3:13CV0036, 2012 WL 5953133 (W.D. Wis. Mar. 25, 2013)
  • Aspex Eyewear, Inc. v. Vision Serv. Plan, No. 1115000, 2012 WL 1233009 (9th Cir. Mar. 1, 2012) affirming dismissal without leave to amend
  • Jaw Properties LLC v. AMTEC Int'l of NY Corp., No. 2010CV3061 (Wis. Circ. Ct. Dane Cnty. Oct. 11, 2010)
  • Aspex Eyewear, Inc. v. Vision Serv. Plan, No. 10-16232, 2010 WL 2893824 (9th Cir. July 26, 2010)
  • Northland Sales, Inc. v. Maax Corp., 556 F. Supp. 2d 928 (E.D. Wis. 2008)
  • Orion Flight Servs. v. Basler Flight Serv., 2006 WI 51, 290 Wis. 2d 421, 714 N.W.2d 130
  • Saratoga Liquor Cp. v. Pernod Ricard SA, No. 2006CV000002 (Wis. Circ. Ct. Douglas Cnty. April 6, 2006), Business Franchise Guide (CCH) 13,312
  • Kuhn Knight, Inc. v. WMC Enters., Inc., 464 F. Supp. 2d 806 (W.D. Wis., 2006)
  • Kaloti Enters., Inc. v. Kellogg Sales Co., 2005 WI 111, 283 Wis. 2d 555, 699 N.W.2d 205
  • AutoChlor System of Minn., Inc. v. JohnsonDiversey, 328 F. Supp. 2d 980 (D. Minn. 2004)
  • Glen Lake Sales & Mktg., Inc. v. Mott's Inc., No. Civ. 01-1582, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 129298, 2003 WL 21730111 (D. Minn. July 21, 2003)
  • Lerma v. Univision Commc'ns, Inc., 52 F. Supp. 2d 1011 (E.D. Wis 1999)
  • Roebke v. Newell Co., 177 Wis. 2d 624, 503 N.W.2d 295 (Ct. App. 1993)
  • Souter v. Int'l Union, 993 F.2d 595 (7th Cir. 1993)

Honors & Affiliations

Honors

  • Best Lawyers in America – Lawyer of the Year, Commercial Litigation, Franchise Law
  • Chambers USA – America's Leading Lawyers for Business – Litigation: General Commercial
  • Selected for inclusion in Wisconsin Super Lawyers
  • Benchmark Litigation: Wisconsin Litigation Star
  • Wisconsin Top Rated Lawyer Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rated
  • Senior Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America, The Trial Lawyer Honorary Society

Affiliations

  • American Bar Association (Litigation, Franchise and Antitrust Law Sections)
  • American Inns of Court (Fairchild Inn Chapter, President)
  • Association for Women's Lawyers
  • Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association (Board Member)
  • Member, Wisconsin Bar Association Litigation Section
  • Former Chair, Wisconsin Bar Association Antitrust Committee of the Business Law Section
  • Member, Commercial Court Pilot Program Steering Committee (appointed by Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice) 2017 - present
  • Member, Trial Law Institute
  • Milwaukee Bar Association (former member of Ethics, Messenger and Membership Committees)
  • Rotary Club of Milwaukee
  • Sergeants' Inn
  • Seventh Circuit Bar Association
  • State Bar of Wisconsin
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Board of Visitors)
  • Waukesha Bar Association

News & Insights

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Presentations

  • "Wisconsin’s ‘Unique’ Commercial Laws,” co-presenter, State Bar of Wisconsin Annual Meeting and Conference (June 19, 2025)
  • "Using Proactive ADR Strategies to Efficiently and Successfully Navigate Business Disputes," co-presenter, Milwaukee Bar Association (October 25, 2023)
  • "Wisconsin's 'Unique' Commercial Laws – Including the Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law, Liquor/Beer Laws, Unfair Sales Act (aka the Minimum Markup Law) and Others," Handling Complex Business Cases 2023, State Bar of Wisconsin (March 17, 2023)
  • "What Judges Want Attorneys and Litigants to Know about Commercial Court Cases," panel moderator, Handling Complex Business Cases 2023, State Bar of Wisconsin (March 17, 2023)
  • "Hot Topics in Commercial and Civil Law Litigation," Wisconsin Supreme Court Judicial Conference (December 2017)
  • "Winning from Day One: Impact of Recent Federal Antitrust Cases and How to Integrate Antitrust Defenses into Early Business Strategy," State Bar of Wisconsin Health, Labor and Employment Law Institute (August 2016)
  • "Complex Litigation Issues," 2015 Annual Meeting of the Wisconsin Judicial Conference (November 2015)
  • "Complex Discovery Issues," 2014 Annual Meeting of the Wisconsin Judicial Conference (November 2014)
  • "U.S. Dispute Resolution for Foreign Businesses," Reinhart International Webinar (May 2014)
  • "Strategy and Ethics in Mining the Internet and Social Media for Usable Evidence," American Bar Association Corporate Counsel Seminar (February 2014)
  • Various prx`esentations on antitrust and dealer laws (including Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law)

Publications