Elizabeth (Betsy) Stone helps clients solve high-stakes disputes and business-critical legal problems with a trial-tested perspective. She represents clients in federal and state courts, before regulatory agencies, and in arbitrations, mediations, negotiations, and other dispute-resolution settings. She has prevailed at trial, successfully argued and briefed dispositive and other motions, negotiated favorable settlements, and secured business resolutions that avoid litigation altogether.
Her practice focuses on manufacturing and commercial disputes, including environmental, energy, and product stewardship issues, supply chain and distribution relationships, and related counseling. Betsy has represented manufacturers, energy companies, technology-driven companies, industrial suppliers, and more.
Clients turn to Betsy for matters that require both legal precision and commercial judgment. Her work extends beyond litigation and regulatory enforcement matters to include strategic counseling on sensitive business, reputational, contractual, and regulatory issues, and serving as outside general counsel for certain clients. Another defining part of Betsy’s practice is her courtroom experience. Just last year, she second-chaired a five-week trial involving more than 25 expert witnesses, prevailing across the board on every issue.
She also regularly authors thought leadership and presents on emerging issues affecting manufacturers and commercial clients. Her publications have been featured in legal treatises and white papers, The National Law Review, American Bar Association publications, and other outlets. Betsy also holds leadership roles within the firm and in the community, including co-chairing the Civil Division of her local federal bar, and has been recognized for her community engagement and contributions to the profession.
During law school, Betsy worked as a judicial intern for a state supreme court and for a state solicitor general. Prior to law school, Betsy worked for several years at a boutique litigation firm, participating in trial preparation, courtroom proceedings, and multiple trials.
Awards and Recognition
- Winner, Next Generation of Leaders (Law Firm), ALM Women, Influence, and Power Law Awards (2026)
- Young Alumna of the Year, Divine Savior Holy Angels High School (2025)
- Eastern District of Wisconsin Pro Bono Recognition (2025)
- Legal All-Star Honoree-Rising Young Lawyer Award, Wisconsin Law Journal (2023)
- Feminist Honoree, Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee (2022)
- Eastern District of Wisconsin Pro Bono Honor Roll (2021)
Affiliations
Betsy is also a member of the American Bar Association, the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin Bar Associations, and the Milwaukee Bar Association. She serves on the Board of the Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin and is Co-Chair of its Civil Division. She is also a Forward48 alum and a 2023 graduate of the Thomas E. Fairchild American Inn of Court.
Pro Bono
Betsy has donated hundreds of hours of pro bono service advocating for constitutional and civil rights of indigent community members from incarcerated persons to human trafficking victims and victims of gun violence.
Presentations and Publications
- Co-author, “Colorado EPR Faces a Second, Broader Constitutional Challenge: What Producers Should Know,” Foley & Lardner LLP (July 31, 2026) (This article was republished by the National Law Review)
- Author, “All Eyes on Oregon: The EPR Bellweather Trial Has Concluded And What Comes Next Could Reshape Producer Obligations Nationwide,” Mondaq (July 24, 2026)
- Author, “All Eyes on Oregon: The EPR Bellwether Trial Has Concluded And What Comes Next Could Reshape Producer Obligations Nationwide,” Foley & Lardner LLP (July 23, 2026)
- Co-author, “Oregon EPR Producers May Have an Off-Ramp From Paying CAA, At Least Temporarily,” JD Supra (July 7, 2026)
- Co-author, “17 States Challenge California Packaging Law With National Supply Chain Stakes,” JD Supra (June 29, 2026)
- Co-presenter, “Incorporating AI Into Your Legal Practice,” Association of Corporate Counsel Annual Conference (May 15, 2026)
- Co-author, “Hot Topics in Product Stewardship: Key Regulatory Developments to Watch,” JD Supra (May 7, 2026)
- Co-author, “EPR Litigation Expands to Colorado as Industry Targets Program Design,” Foley & Lardner LLP (April 6, 2026)
- Co-author, “Oregon DEQ Issues Enforcement Letters and Vows Not to Refund Fees Following Temporary Injunction that Questions Constitutionality of EPR Law,” Foley & Lardner LLP (March 17, 2026)
- Co-author, “Federal Court Enjoins Oregon’s Extended Producer Responsibility Law—a Bellwether Moment for All Seven EPR States,” Foley & Lardner LLP (February 9, 2026)
- Co-author, “Extended Producer Responsibility Laws Are Here: What Manufacturers Must Do Now to Assess Applicability and Compliance Risk,” Foley & Lardner LLP (February 2, 2026)
- Co-author, “Extended Producer Responsibility Laws Are Here- What Manufacturers Must Do Now to Assess Applicability and Compliance Risk,” National Law Review (February 2, 2026)
- Editor and Author, “Made in the USA – Foley Manufacturing White Paper,” Foley & Lardner LLP (January 2026)
- Co-presenter, “Commercial Contracting from the Litigator’s Perspective: Navigating Key Contract Terms, Negotiations, and Supply Chain Disputes,” Foley & Lardner CLE Week (December 6, 2025)
- Co-author, “Clearing the Path: Environmental Permitting in the Era of Renewed American Manufacturing,” JP Supra (October 23, 2025)
- Co-author, “Wisconsin PFAS Groundwater Standards Halted – For Now,” JD Supra (December 28, 2023)
- Co-author, “Wisconsin PFAS Groundwater Standards Halted — for Now,” Manufacturing Industry Advisor (December 27, 2023)
- Co-author, “Unable to Individually Trace PFAS to Manufacturers, Sixth Circuit Dismisses PFAS Class Action,” JD Supra (December 18, 2023)
- Co-author, “Unable to Individually Trace PFAS to Manufacturers, Sixth Circuit Dismisses PFAS Class Action,” Manufacturing Industry Advisor (December 15, 2023)
- Co-author, “How U.S. EPA’s New Environmental Justice Initiative Impacts Manufacturing Operations,” JD Supra (November 28, 2023)
- Co-author, “How U.S. EPA’s New Environmental Justice Initiative Impacts Manufacturing Operations,” Manufacturing Industry Advisor (November 27, 2023)
- Speaker, “Answers to 10 Distribution Law Questions that Every Manufacturer Should Know,” Fox Valley Continuing Legal Education Conference (2023)
- Co-author, “The Importance of Risk Audits for PFAS in the Automotive Industry,” Dashboard Insights (October 16, 2023)
- Co-author, “How Companies Can Audit Insurance Policies to Determine PFAS Coverage,” Manufacturing Industry Advisor (October 16, 2023)
- Co-author, “PFAS Plaintiff Asserts One of the Largest Class Actions in History,” Manufacturing Industry Advisor (April 3, 2023)
- Co-author, “Mass. 7-Eleven Ruling May Threaten Some Franchise Models,” Law360 (April 5, 2022)
- Speaker, “The Business End of Distribution Law,” Foley & Lardner LLP Annual Continuing Legal Education Week (2021)
- Co-author, “Sea Change: Biden Administration Halts Trump-Era Regulation and Expands Clean Water Act Protections,” Foley Insights- Legal News: Environmental (September 9, 2021)
- Co-author, “7-Eleven’s Recent Federal Court Victory Illustrates Best Practices When Terminating Franchisees,” Foley Insights – Legal News: Distribution & Franchise (February 19, 2021)
- Author, “Botched Termination Leads to Preliminary Injunction, Trapping Manufacturer With Distributor,” Foley Insights (October 28, 2020)
- Co-author, “Federal Court Denies Class Certification of 7-Eleven Franchisees in Misclassification Suit,” Foley Insights – Legal News: Distribution & Franchise (September 16, 2020)
- Co-author, “5 Family Office Pitfalls That May Void Securities Exemptions,” Law360 (August 14, 2020)
- Co-author, “U.S. Supreme Court Decision Creates Uncertainty, Liability Risk for Releases of Pollutants to Groundwater,” Manufacturing Industry Advisor (April 30, 2020)
- Speaker, “State(s) of Confusion: Defining the Relationship Under State Distribution Laws,” Foley & Lardner LLP Law of Product Distribution Franchise Seminars (2019)
- Author, “Waste Class Actions: The Line Between Disappointment and Actionable Injury,” American Bar Association (Aug. 8, 2017)
California Restaurant Association Files New California EPR Lawsuit Built on an Untested State Constitutional Tax Theory
Foley Attorneys Analyze Colorado EPR Double Billing Challenge
Double-Billed for Recycling? What Colorado Producers Need to Know About Overlapping Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Fees
Colorado Takes a Page from Oregon’s Playbook And Tries to Partially Dismiss EPR Challenge
Betsy Stone Weighs in on Implications of Landmark Oregon EPR Decision
