Real estate remains Peck’s priority

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After graduating from law school, Laura Peck interviewed for jobs in several different legal areas before choosing a real estate practice.

Peck said it was the idea of working with something tangible that appealed to her. In fact, during her career, she has been general counsel with national financial institutions and insurance companies but always found her way back to real estate.

But her work at Axley Brynelson LLP highlights that, no matter the topic, she is committed to her clients and fellow attorneys, said Managing Partner John Mitby.

“She’s a great listener and cares deeply about her clients and how to get them the best, cost-effective results,” he said. “She spends extra time always getting to know the client and how to serve them.”

Her specialty includes real estate, finance, commercial loans and manufacturing, not typically a space female attorneys occupy.

“I would like to say the (gender gap) has changed more than it has,” Peck said, “but the numbers still don’t show that.”

As far as feeling the pressure of being a woman in a male-dominated field, Peck said it also is difficult to be a man in a law firm.

“It’s not an easy job,” she said. “Both men and women find it hard to juggle because there’s more on everybody’s plate, and in many, many families both people work.”

But when the difficulties of the job start to stress out Peck, she said, she gains perspective by asking herself if the problems will matter in a year. The answer, she said, is usually no.

It’s a trick she shares with female attorneys who are just beginning their careers.

Peck’s interest in advising women in her field has extended to her being involved with Wisconsin Commercial Real Estate Women, of which she was a founding member in 1998. The organization focuses on opportunities for women in commercial real estate.

Peck was an active member of WCREW’s Connecticut chapter before she moved to Madison in 1997. She said she wanted to re-create that experience for herself and others in Wisconsin’s real estate field.

Specializing in real estate and finance since the 1980s has been an interesting ride for Peck, who said she has experienced the tech boom and bust and then the recent recession.

“I’ve also ridden a lot of fun highs as well and seen some remarkable developments take place,” she said. “I really enjoy what I do. I always have. Even when I was doing other things, my first love was always financing and real estate.”