Marvin Bynum will become president and managing partner of Godfrey & Kahn on Jan. 1, 2027, the Milwaukee-based law firm announced Monday.
Bynum takes over from Nic Wahl, who has led the firm for 16 years. Wahl will stay on as executive chairman and remain on the firm’s board of directors.
“Throughout his career, Marvin has excelled at every leadership position he has held. Now is the right time to pass the torch,” Wahl said in a statement. “The firm is in a great place and Marvin was an obvious choice for this next chapter.”
Bynum joined Godfrey & Kahn in 2010. He is a shareholder in the firm’s real estate practice in Milwaukee, where he handles commercial real estate transactions, including development, financing, leasing and projects financed with low-income housing tax credits. He sits on the firm’s board of directors and its Culture & Belonging Committee, and previously co-chaired its recruiting committee. He also serves on the board of TerraLex, a global network of independent law firms.
Before becoming a lawyer, Bynum spent six years as a journalist. He worked as an editor at a Madison-based sports business magazine and as a freelance reporter for daily newspapers in Michigan and Wisconsin. He holds a law degree from Marquette University Law School and a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Arizona State University.
Bynum is vice president of the Milwaukee College Prep board of directors and serves on the boards of Acts Housing, the Milwaukee Development Corporation, Marquette University’s Vieth Institute for Real Estate Leadership and the Marquette University Law School Alumni Association. He previously served as board president of Harbor District and the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center, and taught real estate transactions as an adjunct professor at Marquette University Law School from 2022 to 2026.
“This firm is a special place, primarily because of our wonderful people who care deeply about doing right by each other and our clients,” Bynum said in a statement. “I have long counted myself fortunate to be here, so I do not take this responsibility lightly. I am incredibly humbled to continue the legacy of our founders and exceptional leaders, such as Nic, who has been a remarkable mentor to me along the way.”
Wahl joined Godfrey & Kahn in 1990 and practiced real estate, corporate, and mergers and acquisitions law before the firm’s board picked him to lead the firm in 2010.
Godfrey & Kahn was founded in 1957 and has nearly 200 lawyers. It has offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Appleton, Green Bay, Eau Claire and Washington, D.C.
