Anne E. Ross, a business lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP, has worked in the field of business law for more than 40 years. Her practice reflects the growing intellectual asset-based economy of the Upper Midwest, including extensive work with insurance companies, technology-driven companies and their investors, and tax-exempt organizations. Anne strives to work as her clients’ partner in making the most of business opportunities, solving problems, and avoiding potential disputes through active listening, creative negotiation, and precise drafting of transactional documents. She acts as “outside general counsel” to many of her clients, serving as the focal point to bring the full resources of Foley to bear on the project at hand in an effective and efficient manner. Anne is a member of the firm’s Insurance and Reinsurance Practice and the Transactional & Securities Practice. She was managing partner of the firm’s Madison office from 2008-2018.

Anne’s insurance industry experience includes representation of life, health and property/casualty insurers in new company formation; mergers and acquisitions of stock and mutual companies; mutual insurance holding company conversions and mergers; demutualizations; bulk reinsurance transactions and portfolio acquisitions; insolvency workouts; private debt and equity financings; and joint venture and strategic partnership transactions.

She has had extensive experience handling mergers and acquisitions, distribution and licensing arrangements, private debt and equity financings, and strategic partnerships for insurtech and fintech companies, medical device manufacturers, software developers, communications technology companies, content providers, and new media companies. She has worked with university faculty members, research scientists, and engineers on company formation, start-up funding, and commercialization of emerging technology. She has also represented venture capital, “angel,” and institutional investors in fund formation and portfolio investment and divestment transactions.

Anne has served as legal counsel to scores of tax-exempt entities, including public charities, grant-making foundations, research institutions, and trade groups. She has worked with the state of Wisconsin and other governmental bodies to organize several public/private nonprofit ventures, and has extensive experience with nonprofit/for-profit partnerships, cooperative research and development agreements, and licensing arrangements.