Mike Wittenwyler is an administrative and regulatory attorney at Godfrey & Kahn, S.C., and the lead attorney in the firm's Political Law Group. Splitting his time between Madison, Wisconsin and Washington D.C., he advises businesses, trade associations and other organizations on their interactions with government - local, state and federal.
Mike works with clients each day on campaign finance, election law, ethics and lobbying regulation, and the tax regulation of political and lobbying activities. He performs legislative planning, analysis and drafting for business and industry groups. His work on administrative and regulatory matters includes responding to agency investigations and enforcement actions as well as the review of and challenge to agency actions. He often participates in litigation on these matters on behalf of coalitions of individuals, businesses and trade associations. Many of Mike's clients are tax exempt organizations and he specializes in the tax regulation of lobbying and political activities as well as other tax-exempt legal matters.
Through his work, Mike has a comprehensive understanding of the regulation of alcoholic beverages under Wisconsin law. He is a member of the National Association of Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Attorneys and currently serves on the Wisconsin Legislative Study Committee on Alcohol Beverages Enforcement. He works with businesses in all three-tiers of the alcohol beverage industry – suppliers, wholesalers and retailers. He serves as counsel to both the Wisconsin Wine and Spirit Institute and the Wisconsin Beer Distributors Association.
Many of the matters Mike works on are controversial, high-profile and involve the courtroom of public opinion. He is skilled at explaining legal issues in compelling but accessible language and frequently interacts with the media.
