Middle-aged man with short gray hair and a trimmed beard, wearing a light purple shirt and dark checkered blazer, standing in an indoor corporate law office with blurred bookshelves in the background.

Ethan D. Lenz

Partner

Ethan D. Lenz is a partner and business lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP and serves as chair of the firm’s Insurance Practice. Ethan’s practice focuses on providing risk management and insurance coverage-related advice to many of the firm’s commercial clients, including advice relative to the negotiation and structure of directors and officers liability insurance programs, and a wide variety of other commercial/professional insurance programs. He also provides counseling on insurance regulatory and insurance producer licensing matters for the firm’s insurance industry clients. He is a member of the Insurance and Health Care Industry Teams, as well as the Insurance and Reinsurance Litigation Practice.

Representative Experience

Ethan’s recent representations include advising the Ricketts family on insurance coverage and risk management-related issues involved in the acquisition of the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball Club, and advising the Chuck Greenberg/Nolan Ryan team on various insurance issues in connection with the successful purchase of the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball Club.

Awards and Recognition

  • Selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in the field of Insurance Law (2022-2024)
  • Selected for inclusion in the 2006 and 2007 Wisconsin Super Lawyers – Rising Stars® lists for his insurance coverage work

Affiliations

  • State Bar of Wisconsin
  • The American Bar Association (Business Law and Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice sections)
  • The Milwaukee Bar Association
  • earned the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation from the American Institute for CPCU
  • Member of the legal staff of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company for a brief period, prior to returning to practice at Foley & Lardner

Speaking Engagements

Ethan is a regular speaker on insurance-related topics, including current issues affecting directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, captive insurance companies and other commercial insurance products.

November 5, 2025 Deals and Wins

Foley Represents Douglas Dynamics in Acquisition of Venco Venturo Industries Assets

Foley & Lardner LLP served as legal advisor to Douglas Dynamics, Inc. (NYSE: PLOW), North America’s premier manufacturer and upfitter of work truck attachments and equipment, in the acquisition of substantially all assets of Venco Venturo Industries LLC.
October 10, 2025 Deals and Wins

Foley Advises TruStage™ in Sale of Digital Storefront Business

Foley & Lardner LLP served as legal advisor to TruStage, a financially strong insurance and financial services provider founded in 1935, in the sale of its Digital Storefront business to Demopolis Equity Partners.
October 1, 2025 Video

Ten Minute Interview: Unique Insurance Considerations for High Net Worth Individuals

Brian Lucareli, director of Foley Private Client Services (PCS) and co-chair of the Family Offices group, sits down with Ethan Lenz, partner and former chair of our Insurance practice, for a 10-minute interview to discuss unique insurance considerations for high net worth individuals and family offices. During the session, Ethan provided an overview of the type of insurance high net worth individuals and family offices should consider and the associated risks. He also touched on the insurance considerations for family office portfolio companies and investments.
June 18, 2025 Deals and Wins

Foley Represents Johnny Clean Car Wash in Sale to El Car Wash

Foley & Lardner LLP served as legal advisor to Johnny Clean Car Wash in its sale to El Car Wash, a portfolio company of Warburg Pincus.
June 10, 2025 Deals and Wins

Foley Represents Relevant Industrial in Strategic Investment by Fusion Capital Partners

Foley & Lardner LLP represented Relevant Industrial, LLC (Relevant), a leading provider of industrial equipment and engineered solutions, in the acquisition of Relevant by Fusion Capital Partners (Fusion) through a strategic financial investment. LKCM Headwater Investments (LKCM), a longstanding partner to Relevant, sold a majority stake in the company and reinvested as a minority stakeholder.
June 5, 2025 Deals and Wins

Foley Represents Mayville Engineering Company in Acquisition of Accu-Fab

Foley & Lardner LLP represented Mayville Engineering Company (MEC), a provider of design, prototyping, and manufacturing solutions, in its definitive agreement to acquire Accu-Fab, LLC (Accu-Fab) from Tide Rock for $140.5 million. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions.