Founded in Rochester, Minnesota in 1971 by Louis M. Ohly and now practiced by three members of the second and third generations of the Ohly family, this firm has served clients throughout Southeastern Minnesota for more than fifty years without relocating or changing its name. Two of its current attorneys — James C. Ohly and Travis M. Ohly — hold Minnesota certification in Real Property Law, a specialist designation that reflects formal recognition of expertise in the area that anchors the firm’s practice.
Overview
Ohly Law Office has operated from North Broadway Avenue in Rochester since 1971. Louis M. Ohly founded the firm; Paul M. Ohly (second generation) and James C. Ohly and Travis M. Ohly (third generation) now operate it. The three-generation structure is unusual in small firm practice and reflects a deliberate continuity of both family identity and professional orientation: each generation has maintained the firm’s focus on real estate law alongside estate planning, probate, business formation, litigation, and employment law.
The firm has received Best Law Firm recognition from Rochester’s Post Bulletin in both 2022 and 2025. It is a member of the Rochester Area Builders Association and the Rochester Chamber of Commerce — affiliations that reflect the firm’s role in the local business and real estate ecosystem.
Practice Areas
Real Estate. Real estate is the firm’s primary practice area and the one in which it carries the deepest credentials. The practice covers residential and commercial transactions: closings, title insurance, residential and commercial purchases, sales, refinancings, construction loans, and contracts for deed. James C. Ohly and Travis M. Ohly are both certified in Real Property Law under Minnesota’s attorney certification program, which requires demonstrated competence and peer review. The firm’s membership in the Rochester Area Builders Association connects it to the residential construction community whose transactions flow through real estate closings.
Estate Planning. The firm prepares wills, trusts, and related estate planning documents for individuals and families in Southeastern Minnesota. Estate planning work addresses how assets transfer at death, how incapacity is managed through powers of attorney, and how families can structure their affairs to minimize probate involvement.
Probate. When a client’s family member dies, the firm assists with the probate process — the court-supervised administration of an estate. This includes both situations where the decedent had a will and those where they died intestate. Probate work follows naturally from the estate planning practice.
Business Formation. The firm handles the formation of new business entities, including LLC formation, for clients starting or restructuring businesses in the Rochester area. Business formation work is the starting point for many ongoing client relationships.
Litigation. Ohly Law Office handles general litigation including commercial disputes, property disputes, and personal injury matters. The litigation practice supports the firm’s transactional clients when disputes arise from real estate transactions, business relationships, or other matters the firm has handled on the non-litigation side.
Employment Law. The firm’s employment law practice addresses workplace legal matters for clients in the Rochester area. Details on the specific scope of this practice are not publicly specified, but it is listed among the firm’s service offerings.
Attorney Profiles
Paul M. Ohly is a second-generation attorney at the firm. He earned his J.D. from Hamline University cum laude in 1983 and holds a B.A. from the University of Missouri. He is admitted to the Minnesota bar.
James C. Ohly is a third-generation attorney. He earned his J.D. from the University of Minnesota School of Law cum laude in 1989 and is Certified in Real Property Law under Minnesota’s attorney certification program. He is admitted to the Minnesota bar.
Travis M. Ohly is a third-generation attorney. He earned his J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law in 2005 and is Certified in Real Property Law under Minnesota’s attorney certification program. He is admitted to the Minnesota bar.
Louis M. Ohly, the firm’s founder, is retired or deceased; specific information about his credentials beyond his bar admission and the founding of the firm in 1971 is not publicly specified.
Location and Service Area
Ohly Law Office is located at 1850 North Broadway Avenue, Rochester, MN 55906. Phone: (507) 289-4529. Fax: (507) 289-0987. The website is ohlylaw.com/
The firm serves Rochester and Southeastern Minnesota. Consultation availability is not publicly specified; prospective clients should contact the firm directly.
Client Focus
The firm’s clients include individuals and families buying, selling, or refinancing homes and commercial properties in the Rochester area; individuals who need estate plans and wills; families navigating probate after a death; businesses forming new entities or restructuring; parties in commercial or property disputes; and clients with employment law issues. The Rochester Area Builders Association membership connects the firm to the residential construction sector, whose members regularly need real estate closing services and related legal support.
The three-generation continuity means that the firm’s clients often have multi-decade relationships with the Ohly family. A client who used the firm for a real estate closing in the 1980s may now be returning for estate planning or probate as their circumstances change — the kind of relationship continuity that is structurally impossible in a high-turnover practice.
FAQ
What does Minnesota certification in Real Property Law mean?
Minnesota’s attorney certification program allows attorneys who demonstrate substantial involvement in a specific area of law, pass a written examination, and obtain peer evaluations to be designated as certified specialists. James C. Ohly and Travis M. Ohly both hold certification in Real Property Law. This is a voluntary designation that is distinct from bar admission and reflects a formal commitment to demonstrated competence in real estate law.
How does a multi-generational family firm differ from a standard law office in practice?
The Ohly family has practiced in Rochester since 1971, across three generations. This creates client relationships that span decades, familiarity with the local real estate market across multiple market cycles, and institutional knowledge of the Rochester area’s legal and business landscape that cannot be replicated by a newer practice. For clients dealing with property transactions or estate planning that connects to prior transactions the firm handled for family members, this history is directly relevant.
Can the firm handle both the real estate transaction and the estate plan for the same client?
Yes. The firm’s primary practice areas — real estate and estate planning — are naturally complementary. Many estate plans address real estate ownership specifically, and the firm can assist with both the planning and the transactions that follow from it.
Does the firm handle residential and commercial real estate, or only one?
Both. The real estate practice covers residential closings, commercial transactions, title insurance, construction loans, contracts for deed, and land use and zoning. The scope reflects the variety of real estate activity in the Rochester market.
What types of litigation does the firm handle?
Ohly Law Office handles commercial disputes, property disputes, and personal injury matters. The litigation practice is general rather than specialized, oriented toward the kinds of disputes that arise in the firm’s primary practice areas: real estate transactions gone wrong, business disputes, and property-related conflicts.
Closing
Three generations of the Ohly family have practiced law from the same Rochester address since 1971, with two current attorneys holding Minnesota certification in Real Property Law and consistent recognition from the city’s primary newspaper as a top law firm. That combination — family continuity, formal real estate specialist credentials, and a half-century of service to Southeastern Minnesota — gives the Ohly Law Office a standing in Rochester that is built from practice rather than marketing.