Vetted Madison and Dane County law firms for personal injury, divorce, criminal defense, and business. Real Wisconsin firms chosen for track record and client care, not ad spend. Browse by your situation and book a free consultation.
Updated May 28, 2026
Madison firm profiles are still being added to the directory. The firms below are established WI practices gathered from public sources; ratings shown as "not yet aggregated" will be added as we verify them. For full ranked write-ups, see the Top 10 guides further down.
Madison is Wisconsin’s capital and the home of the University of Wisconsin, the state government, a fast-growing tech and biotech sector, and a busy insurance and healthcare economy. That mix keeps personal injury, family law, criminal defense (including OWI), employment, and business work in steady demand. Whatever your situation, you want a Dane County attorney who knows the local Circuit Court and Wisconsin’s deadlines. Here is the plain-English version of what shapes a case in Madison.
Wisconsin is one of only nine community property (marital property) states, which makes it unusual in the Midwest. In a divorce, the court generally presumes a 50/50 split of marital assets and debts under Wis. Stat. 767.61, while property you owned before the marriage or received by gift or inheritance can stay separate if you kept it that way. Wisconsin also imposes a mandatory 120-day waiting period from filing before a divorce can be finalized, even when both spouses agree on everything. You need six months of state residency and 30 days in Dane County to file.
Wisconsin gives you three years from the date of injury to file most personal injury claims (Wis. Stat. 893.54). The state uses modified comparative negligence: you can recover as long as you are not more than 51% at fault, but your award is reduced by your share of the blame. Claims against a municipal or government entity require written notice within 120 days, a much shorter clock. Most Madison injury lawyers work on contingency, so you pay nothing unless they recover.
Wisconsin calls drunk driving OWI (operating while intoxicated). A first-offense OWI is unusual nationally in that it is a civil forfeiture, not a crime, in most cases, but penalties escalate sharply on repeat offenses and with a high blood-alcohol reading or a passenger under 16. Madison criminal cases run through the Dane County Courthouse. Misdemeanor defense commonly runs $2,000-$5,000; felony defense ranges from roughly $5,000 to $25,000+ depending on the charge and whether it goes to trial.
The Dane County Courthouse downtown handles civil, criminal, and family matters in Wisconsin’s Circuit Court system. Small claims (up to $10,000) are heard there as well. As the state capital, Madison is also home to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, and federal cases go to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, located in Madison.
Madison is a mid-to-upper-priced market for the region. Solo and small-firm attorneys generally charge $225-$350 per hour; specialty and larger firms run $350-$450. Personal injury is almost always contingency (33%-40%). Flat-fee uncontested divorces commonly run $2,000-$4,000 (plus the 120-day wait), while contested cases bill hourly on a $3,000-$7,000 retainer. LLC and business formation often runs $750-$2,500 flat plus the Wisconsin filing fee. Get the fee structure in writing before you hire.
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