On the Job
Attorney Isaac Brodkey’s Practice
Attorney Isaac Brodkey is a senior associate in Stafford Rosenbaum’s Madison office. Isaac’s practice focuses on counseling businesses on everything from day-to-day operations to handling and resolving disputes. His experience ranges from advising local Wisconsin-based companies to regional, national, and international entities. In particular, Isaac counsels and problem-solves for manufacturers, distributors, and all other parties to a distribution network in both transactional and litigation matters. In the transactional context, Isaac regularly prepares and negotiates distribution, manufacturing, and asset purchase agreements. Isaac routinely advises businesses of their rights and obligations under the Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law, the Wisconsin Motor Vehicle Dealership Law, and Wisconsin’s three-tier alcohol distribution system. Isaac is also knowledgeable regarding complying with the Wisconsin Franchise Investment Law and the franchise and dealership laws of other states.
When litigation is necessary, Isaac is experienced in handling and resolving disputes. He has litigated relatively straightforward contract and debt obligation claims to considerably more involved dealership and franchise termination litigation, derivative shareholder actions, and trademark and trade secret misappropriation, among other complex commercial issues. Isaac has counseled parties in matters at both the trial and appellate level in Wisconsin and the Seventh Circuit, as well as in arbitration and before administrative agencies.
In addition to assisting with problem solving for businesses, Isaac works extensively on appellate, municipal, environmental, and administrative matters. Isaac contributes to the editing and publication of the Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law treatise and regularly publishes blogs and law review articles on a variety of topics.
Prior to joining Stafford Rosenbaum LLP, Isaac graduated cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School and was elected to Order of the Coif. He was an articles editor for the Wisconsin Law Review and served for two years as a teaching assistant for the Law School’s Property Law course.
Isaac’s Court Admissions
- State of Wisconsin
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Isaac’s Education
- University of Wisconsin Law School (J.D., cum laude, Order of the Coif)
- University of Nebraska – Lincoln (B.S., Business Administration)
Isaac’s Presentations and Publications
- “Talking Past Each Other: Divergent Approaches to the Community-of-Interest Standard in Wisconsin’s State and Federal Courts,” Franchise Law Journal, American Bar Association, Winter 2024
- “Recent U.S. Supreme Court Decision Shows that the Dormant Commerce Clause Does Not Preclude Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law Damages for Sales beyond State Borders,” Wisconsin Law Review, November 2023
- “Protecting Main Street: How the Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law Can Help Wisconsin Family Businesses,” Wisconsin Family Business Center Food for Thought series presentation, June 1, 2023
- “Contracting Around the Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law? Forum Selection Clauses, Choice-of-Forum Provisions, and Developments Corporate Counsel Need to Know,” Association of Corporate Counsel – Wisconsin, May 19, 2023
- “Protecting Main Street: A Crash Course in the Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law,” CLE presentation, April 12, 2023
- Stafford Rosenbaum Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law blog series, April 2023-present
Isaac’s Professional Memberships and Activities
- State Bar of Wisconsin
- American Bar Association
- Forum on Franchising
- Village of DeForest Board of Zoning Appeals
- Beth Israel Center Membership Committee
- Delta Sigma Pi
