David G. Walsh, a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP and former managing partner, is a member of the firm's Government & Public Policy Practice and the Sports Industry Team. He has represented communications entities for over 30 years, developing particular skill in cable television and telecommunications law.
Mr. Walsh has served as primary counsel in a number of significant litigations involving telecommunications law, including successful challenges to municipal and state regulation of the cable television industry and telephony issues. He has assisted cable television companies and competitive local exchange carriers in all aspects of their business, including corporate structuring, franchising, and facility siting. Mr. Walsh has represented Centurytel, Inc., Charter Communications, Inc., TDS Telecom, Inc., and Bresnan Communications, Inc.
Mr. Walsh is very familiar with the economics of professional sports. He has represented sports teams in media contracts and professional athletes in contract negotiations. Mr. Walsh is a former part owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. In addition, he has significant experience with college sports.
Mr. Walsh also has an extensive estate planning practice and counsels clients and families on business succession and wealth management and transfer. He counsels and represents business clients in all phases of business activity, including the restructuring of reorganized entities. An experienced litigator, he is admitted to practice in Wisconsin, the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin, the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Mr. Walsh is a member of the board of directors of National Guardian Life Insurance Company, Capital Newspapers, Inc., and Thompson Investment Management, Inc. He serves on the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents for which he served as president from 2005-2006.
He served as a member of the firm's Management Committee from 1993 - 2002. For over 10 years, Mr. Walsh was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® and in 2009, he was selected as a leader in the "Bet-the-Company" Litigation in Madison by The Best Lawyers in America®. He was also selected for inclusion in the 2006 and 2007 Wisconsin Super Lawyers® lists and also ranked by Chambers USA as one of the top Mergers & Acquisitions lawyers in the state of Wisconsin in 2007 - 2009. He has been named 2010 Madison Corporate Lawyer of the Year and 2012 Madison Bet-the-Company Litigation Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers in America. Based on exhaustive peer-review surveys, attorneys honored as "Lawyers of the Year" have received particularly high ratings for their abilities, professionalism and integrity. In recognition of his experience, he has been Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™, the highest performance rating in Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system.
Mr. Walsh received his bachelor's degree, with honors, in 1965 from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and in 1997 received the Distinguished Business Alumnus Award from the University's School of Business. His J.D. degree was conferred in 1970 by Harvard Law School. Mr. Walsh served in the United States Navy as an officer from 1965-67 and is a Vietnam veteran.