Our History

Andrus was founded on October 1, 1939 by Elwin A. Andrus, who opened the firm as a solo practice. The office was initially located in the First Wisconsin National Bank Building, at the corner of Mason and Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

In 1941, Merle E. Sceales joined the firm and the firm subsequently became known as Andrus & Sceales. By 1952, Glenn O. Starke and Eugene R. Sawall had joined the firm and the practice continued to grow. In 1968, the firm was renamed Andrus, Sceales, Starke & Sawall. In 2013, the firm became known as Andrus Intellectual Property Law.

Throughout our history, we have represented over 6,000 clients in a variety of industrial and technical areas. We have represented individuals, small businesses, and major corporations, including major multi-national clients from the United States, Europe, Australia and Asia. The firm moved to its current home in the new BMO Tower in downtown Milwaukee in 2020.

Andrus has a distinguished and long-standing reputation for providing world-class legal service exclusively in the area of intellectual property law, and we are honored to continue to serve our clients as their partner in innovation.