This is the story of of the legal profession in Dane County, Wisconsin, from the 1850s to the early 1980s. Featuring short biographies of attorneys, judges, and law firms, this book also discusses the training, practice, public roles, work climate, and perspectives of lawyers during more than a century of change.

Lawyers Who Shaped Dane County illuminates the important contributions of local attorneys to the community, the state, and the nation, whether in law or through their activities in the arts, business, politics, culture, and education. Among the most prominent is Senator Robert LaFollette, founder of the Progressive Party and of the magazine The Progressive.