Mr. Fox’s Practice

Bill Fox is the founder and chairman of Fox, O’Neill & Shannon, S.C. Since its establishment, Mr. Fox has developed and grown the firm and its practice into a premier provider of expert, cost effective legal services.

A large part of Mr. Fox’s success has been his hands-on development, nurturing and expansion of the firm’s underlying business clientele.

Mr. Fox maintains an active business practice and specializes in advising high net worth individuals and privately held businesses. He provides legal services in the areas of business operations, business planning, business crisis management, estate planning, succession planning and tax law. He serves on the Board of Directors for a number of companies, and other advisory groups, for businesses and community organizations.

Mr. Fox advises clients in a variety of industries, including bottling and packaging, light manufacturing, real estate development, franchising, advertising, temporary help, and securities regulation. In addition, Mr. Fox also practices in the specialized area of Indian law. His services were instrumental in the development of Indian gaming in Milwaukee, including the creation of the first non-reservation trust land in the country.

Mr. Fox recognized, throughout his legal career, that an individual and law firm’s success is measured not just by providing legal services, but by participating in and contributing to the community. To that end, Mr. Fox has made extensive civic contributions. His civic work was honored, in 2005, with the MVP “Most Valuable Person” Award by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, which is awarded for outstanding community involvement and service to the children of Milwaukee. Mr. Fox has long served as a Board member and provided substantial pro bono legal services for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, Inc.

In addition to his contributions to the Boys & Girls Club, Mr. Fox is past chairman of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Wisconsin’s largest community trust. In that capacity, and as a Foundation member, he participated in the issuance of hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual grants to a variety of nonprofit organizations. Mr. Fox has also served on many nonprofit Boards, including the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, the Circus World Museum, and the Great Circus Parade.

One of Mr. Fox’s most personal pursuits has been in Wisconsin’s Great Circus Parade. Formerly headed by Mr. Fox’s uncle, Chappie Fox, the Parade, which showcases original historical circus wagons, has been a Wisconsin institution for decades. As co-chairman of the Great Circus Parade, Mr. Fox brought the Parade back to Milwaukee in 2009, where it was witnessed live by over 500,000 people and televised to a national audience.

Primary Practice Areas

Business Law and Planning, including:

Counseling high net worth individuals and their privately held businesses in a wide variety of manufacturing service industries
Corporate, LLC and partnership operation and administration
Counseling light manufacturing and related entities
Counseling soft drink bottlers and related organizations
Estate and succession planning
Probate and trust administration
Taxation
Federal Indian law

Professional Summary

Mr. Fox grew up in the Milwaukee area. He graduated with honors from Williams College in 1958 before obtaining his J.D. from Marquette University Law School in 1961.

Education

Williams College
Marquette University Law School
Associate Editor of Law Review

Bar Admissions

State of Wisconsin

Biography

Mr. Fox lives in Fox Point, Wisconsin with his wife Karen.