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.

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.
May 12, 2025 Honors and Awards

Foley Earns Honorable Mention in Merger & Acquisitions' Middle-Market Deals of the Year

Foley & Lardner LLP earned an honorable mention in Mergers & Acquisitions' 2025 Middle-Market Deals of the Year for advising Ora, a leading global full-service ophthalmic drug and device development firm, in its 2024 recapitalization by The Vistria Group.
April 3, 2025 Deals and Wins

Foley Represents cQuant.io in Acquisition by Zema Global

Foley & Lardner LLP represented cQuant.io, an industry leader in analytic solutions for energy and commodity companies, in its acquisition by Zema Global, a leading provider of data management and analytics solutions for companies in the energy, commodities, and financial sectors.
February 20, 2025 Deals and Wins

Foley Represents Kontoor Brands in Acquisition of Helly Hansen

Foley & Lardner LLP represented Kontoor Brands, Inc., a global lifestyle apparel company and owner of the iconic Wrangler and Lee jeans brands, in its definitive agreement to acquire Helly Hansen, a leading global outdoor and workwear brand, for approximately $900 million. Under the terms of the agreement, Kontoor Brands will acquire 100% of Helly Hansen from Canadian Tire Corporation.