Michael Best is proud to announce that Laura Lamansky, of the firm’s Intellectual Property practice, has been named one of the Milwaukee Business Journal’s 2026 40 Under 40 honorees. This prestigious recognition celebrates emerging leaders across the region who are making significant contributions to their professions and communities.
An impactful lawyer, Lamansky has built a reputation for her sharp legal acumen, collaborative approach, and deep commitment to client service. Her practice spans from global brand protection and complex copyright matters to sophisticated entertainment law issues. Her trust from clients across industries and from colleagues throughout the firm, plus recognition in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Intellectual Property Law and Entertainment and Sports Law, underscore her expanding influence and leadership within the intellectual property and entertainment law communities. Lamansky is also recognized as an emerging thought leader on issues at the intersection of her practice areas and AI, and she frequently speaks on these rapidly evolving subjects.
Beyond her client work, Lamansky is deeply committed to advancing the legal profession and strengthening her community. At Michael Best, she is a leader in the Milwaukee Associates Committee, where she regularly moderates educational programs that support associate development. She remains an active leader within the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), now serving her third term as Milwaukee City Lead, mentoring LCLD scholars, and championing expanded access, mentorship, and opportunity across the profession—efforts that earned her the 2025 LCLD Rising Star award. Lamansky is also a member of TEMPO’s Emerging Women Leaders, where she helps connect and empower women professionals throughout Milwaukee. Her prior leadership includes serving as Board Member and Treasurer of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Sports & Entertainment Law Section, where she contributed to statewide policy and attorney development, as well as volunteering with the Junior League of Milwaukee on its community-focused initiatives and programming. In addition, Lamansky is a longstanding member of the American Players Theatre (APT) Board of Directors and Co-Chair of the Board’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Committee, where she helps guide APT’s efforts to broaden engagement and foster a more diverse artistic community, including championing “The Words Between Us,” a program that brings APT teaching artists into high schools, including in Milwaukee, to deepen students’ fluency around race, ethnicity, and literature by authors of color.
Lamansky holds a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin, an M.F.A. from Columbia University, and a B.A. from the University of Southern California.
The Milwaukee Business Journal will celebrate Lamansky and the 2026 class during its annual 40 Under 40 awards event on March 11.