| 1880 |
Burr Jones and Arthur Loomis Sanborn form a partnership called Jones & Sanborn |
| 1882 |
Jones is elected to Congress and serves one term |
| 1885 |
Jones partners with Francis J. Lamb to form Lamb & Jones |
| 1896 |
Jones and E. Ray Stevens form a partnership called Jones & Stevens |
| 1897 |
Jones is appointed to and becomes the Chair of the Wisconsin Tax Commission, later playing an integral role in the creation of Wisconsin's modern taxation system |
| 1901 |
Stevens is elected to the State Assembly |
| 1903 |
Madison General Hospital (MGH) opens as Madison's first general public hospital with the assistance and legal expertise of E.J.B. Schubring, one of Axley Brynelson's founding attorneys
Stevens is appointed Judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit by Governor Robert M. LaFollette. Jones and Stevens' partnership ends with Stevens' judicial appointment |
| 1904 |
Jones and Schubring form a partnership. Jones & Stevens becomes Jones & Schubring
Founding Attorney Sanborn is elected to the Senate with 11,129 votes, defeating G. Schwindt, who had 3,495 votes |
| 1905 |
Sanborn is nominated by President Theodore Roosevelt to serve as a Federal Judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
Schubring, along with Magnus Swenson and Phillip Spooner, forms the Southern Wisconsin Power Company to study the hydroelectric potential of the Wisconsin River. The Company would go on to build the Kilbourn Dam, which was considered a modern engineering marvel and is responsible for making the Wisconsin Dells a popular travel destination today |
| 1916 |
Jones and Schubring represent the plaintiff in Southern Wisconsin Railway Company v. City of Madison. Their victory in court holds the railway responsible for paving Wisconsin's roads after its rail lines were abandoned |
| 1918 |
Jones employs Daisy Lorigan as his secretary, a progressive hire for the time. Lorigan continues to work at the firm for 45 years |
| 1920 |
Jones is appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and serves two consecutive terms |
| 1923 |
Schubring, William Ryan and Arnold Petersen form a partnership called Schubring, Ryan & Petersen |
| 1926 |
Stevens is elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, succeeding former law partner Jones |
| 1928 |
Firm moves to 122 West Washington Avenue
Ralph Axley and L.F. Lamb join the firm as associates |
| 1930 |
The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) is created by a judgment of the Dane County Circuit Court. Ryan serves as MMSD’s first attorney |
| 1937 |
Robert Sutherland joins the firm. The firm becomes Schubring, Ryan, Petersen & Sutherland |
| 1939 |
Floyd Brynelson joins the firm for one year before enlisting in the U.S. Navy |
| 1943 |
Petersen becomes the President of the Dane County Bar Association, becoming the second of Axley's attorneys after Burr Jones to hold this title |
| 1946 |
Brynelson is discharged from the Navy as Lieutenant Commander and rejoins the firm |
| 1960 |
Firm becomes Schubring, Petersen, Sutherland & Axley |
| 1961 |
Firm becomes Petersen, Sutherland, Axley & Brynelson |
| 1970 |
Firm becomes Petersen, Axley, Brynelson & Herrick |
| 1972 |
Firm becomes Axley, Brynelson, Herrick & Gehl |
| 1978 |
Firm becomes Brynelson, Herrick, Gehl & Bucaida |
| 1985 |
Firm becomes Brynelson, Herrick, Bucaida, Dorschel & Armstrong |
| 1988 |
Firm becomes Axley Brynelson and moves to its current location, 2 East Mifflin Street
John Walsh becomes the President of the State Bar of Wisconsin |
| 1990 |
David Easton is appointed Axley’s first Managing Partner |
| 1998 |
Art Kurtz succeeds Easton as Managing Partner |
| 2003 |
Michael Anderson becomes Axley's Managing Partner |
| 2009 |
John Mitby becomes the firm's Managing Partner |
| 2012 |
Waukesha-based law firm Murn & Martin joins Axley |
