Attorney John Daniels

Noted African American attorney John W. Daniels has been appointed chairman of Quarles & Brady LLP, a national law firm headquartered in Milwaukee.

Daniels, a nationally recognized real estate attorney, has been with Quarles & Brady since 1974 and was named a partner in 1981.

Daniels was named to the position of chairman following the unexpected passing of Patrick M. Ryan in late August. Ryan had served as the chairman and managing partner of Quarles & Brady since 2002.

"I am honored and humbled to be afforded this opportunity to help lead Quarles & Brady," Daniels said in a news release.

"Our staff and our clients are the best in their fields, and I look forward to ensuring our firm continues to attract and retain the top legal talents and provides the best service and counsel to those who turn to us.

"Pat helped Quarles & Brady become one of the top firms in the nation and did so with such grace and adoration from those he worked with, and I will strive to continue that tradition."

Daniels has been involved in many high-profile developments, including Milwaukee’s Midwest Airlines Center, the Theater District, Grand Avenue, and Midtown Mall, as well as representing national clients, including Phillip Morris Capital Corporation, General Electric Capital, Xerox Corporation, Kraft Foods and many others.

Daniels obtained his law degree from Howard University and his bachelor’s degree from North Central College.

Daniels was recently awarded the Thurgood Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award, has been honored by the National Council of Christians and Jews, and was named a fellow by the Ford Foundation and the National Science Foundation among other honors.

He is also the former national president of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, a national secretary of the American Bar Association Real Property Attorneys and serves in corporate directorships with Marshall & Ilsley Corporation and V&J Foods.

At Quarles & Brady, Daniels has led many Firm-wide diversity and philanthropic efforts.

He is also involved in the Milwaukee Community as the vice chairman of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, a director of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, director of the Ralph Evinrude Foundation, director of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, director emeritus of the Medical College of Wisconsin, and a past director with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Boys & Girls Clubs of Milwaukee.