Law Firm Joins Third Ward’s Growing Office Roster
Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown relocating after decades in Downtown.
214-228 E. Erie St. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
A prominent Milwaukee law firm is trading its downtown office for space in the Historic Third Ward.
Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown (GRGB) plans to relocate from its longtime home at 333 E. Kilbourn Ave. to 222 E. Erie St. at the start of 2027.
The trial and litigation firm will occupy a portion of the fourth floor, putting it next to the executive suite of Twin Disc, the Racine-based manufacturing company.
GRGB said in a statement that it selected the Third Ward as it looked to design an office for the firm’s future. The new space will include a modern buildout intended to support a more collaborative work environment, as well as access to the parking structure attached to the building.
GRGB has operated from the 330 office complex since 2000.
The move will bring the firm approximately a mile south to an 89,000-square-foot historic building. The four-story structure, with a partial fifth floor and an attached parking garage facing E. Chicago Street, was constructed in 1891, shortly before the massive 1892 fire that destroyed much of the Third Ward. A century later, it was redeveloped into a modern office building.
An affiliate of Chicago-based R2 Companies acquired the property for $9.65 million in late 2019.
The building has attracted a mix of office, restaurant and entertainment tenants.
Twin Disc moved its executive team into approximately 8,100 square feet on the fourth floor after announcing the relocation in 2022. The publicly traded manufacturer continues to operate manufacturing facilities in southeastern Wisconsin and elsewhere.
Brian Parrish of Paradigm Real Estate represented GRGB in the transaction, while Ned Purtell and John Davis of Founders 3 represented the building’s ownership.
Escape The Room Milwaukee also operates from the building, offering four escape-room attractions. The building’s restaurant space now houses bb.q Chicken, the international Korean fried chicken chain.
Nearly 60-Year-Old Firm
The move marks the latest chapter for the firm, which traces its history back to 1968.
Frank Gimbel founded the practice after five years as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, which included a conviction of mobster Frank Balistrieri for tax evasion. His brother, Stanley Gimbel, joined the following year, and the practice subsequently added former federal prosecutors Richard Reilly and Thomas Brown and former Wisconsin Department of Justice special agent D. Michael Guerin.
Frank Gimbel and Guerin would both go on to serve as presidents of the State Bar of Wisconsin. Gimbel also had an unusually visible role in Milwaukee civic affairs, serving for more than two decades as chairman of the Wisconsin Center District board.
The firm’s website currently lists 13 active attorneys. Its six current partners are Nicole M. Masnica, Kristin Leaf, Joshua Gimbel, Jason Luczak, Denis Regan and Adam J. Schleis.
Existing members must be signed in to see the interactive map. Sign in.
If you think stories like this are important, become a member of Urban Milwaukee and help support real, independent journalism. Plus you get some cool added benefits.
