Chair emeritus
Quarles | Milwaukee
As chair emeritus of Quarles, John Daniels Jr. serves as a thought leader and strategic business advisor to clients of the Milwaukee law firm. Daniels joined Quarles & Brady in 1974, was named partner in 1981 and joined its management committee in 1994. He was named chairman and managing partner in 2007 and went on to lead the firm through the Great Recession, growing its team of attorneys, practice specialties and locations. In 2011, he founded the MKE Fellows program to provide scholarships and mentorship for young men who have demonstrated academic talent. He is widely recognized for championing diversity, equity and inclusion, entrepreneurialism and high-quality education access for Milwaukee youth.
Education: Bachelor’s, North Central College; master’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison; J.D., Harvard Law School
What would you do if you could choose another career: “Although I know it’s challenging, I might choose a career in public service. The issues of our day are complicated and require people who know and understand that success is a combination of things that include bringing as many people to alignment to drive to a common and worthy goal.”
One decision to do over: “I had an opportunity to acquire an interest in what turned out to be a remarkable company that has had enormous growth in the last 35 years. My legal instincts, unfortunately, made me a little too cautious about an expanding industry. I learned that the future involves uncharted territory and if you want to experience the remarkable things that occur in the future there is an element of risk – take it!”
Historical figures you admire: “Jackie Robinson and Sandra Day O’Connor. Both demonstrated that even if your remarkable abilities are restricted by others, when you get the chance, you can do remarkable things and have an impact well beyond what anyone could imagine.”
Definition of success: “The most important thing is to make sure that those things which are not measured in financial terms stay aligned. Support for the family, the community and having aspiration for the notion that the next day may be the best is important.”
2022 Wisconsin 275 Profile
Chair emeritus
Quarles & Brady | Milwaukee
John Daniels Jr. joined Quarles & Brady LLP in 1974, becoming the first African American employee hired by the Milwaukee-based law firm. Daniels was named partner at Quarles in 1981 and joined its management committee in 1994.
In 2007, he was named chairman and managing partner and went on to lead the firm through the Great Recession. Amid economic headwinds, Quarles managed to add new lawyers and locations across the firm under his leadership. He is credited with “fundamentally transforming Quarles from its traditional legal industry structure to a model of a 21st-century professional services business,” according to a company bio.
A former national president of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, he’s counted corporate household names among his clients, including General Electric, Kraft Foods and Xerox. As chair emeritus, he continues to serve as a strategic business advisor to many of the firm’s major clients.
Daniels has been a major player in Milwaukee civic life for decades. An advocate for high-quality education, Daniel founded the MKE Fellows program in 2011 to provide scholarships and mentorship for the young men who have demonstrated academic talent. His board service has focused primarily on the areas of education, financial services, health care and real estate. He has chaired the boards of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, Advocate Aurora Health and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.
Education: Bachelor’s, North Central College; master’s, University of Wisconsin-Madison; J.D., Harvard Law School
What two business leaders would you want to have dinner with: “Jamie Dimon (CEO of JPMorgan Chase) because he has an enormous capacity for seeing ahead of the curve and he had experiences in his career where he had to learn from a challenge. Ken Chenault, former CEO of American Express and a former law school classmate of mine. Not only did he do an incredible job at American Express, but in the second phase of his career, he’s had a major impact on the development of incredible new companies.”
Fun fact: “The fact that I’m from Alabama and have put up with Wisconsin winters for almost 50 years.”
