Peterson builds career off farming background

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Madison attorney Dale Peterson, general counsel for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, knows firsthand the highs and lows of farm life.

The Waupaca native grew up working on his family’s dairy farm in central Wisconsin. That experience translated well to his work at the FBF, where he was worked for the past 30 years.

In his capacity as attorney for the largest general farming organization in the state, Peterson often handles cases dealing with processing and manufacturing in both the appellate and state Supreme Court.

More recently, the Stroud, Willink & Howard LLC lawyer began representing another group of well-known entrepreneurs in the state: the Wisconsin Brewer’s Guild.

The organization represents the interests of craft beer makers in Wisconsin, such as Sprecher, Lakefront and New Glarus breweries.

While he has worn many hats as an attorney, Peterson has done it all with the same firm he started with after graduating law school in 1978.

Peterson showcased his versatility in this week’s Asked & Answered.

Wisconsin Law Journal: If you could develop one CLE course for credit, what would it be about?
Dale Peterson: Practicing law in a paperless world. Instead of going to trial with banker’s boxes filled with documents and exhibits, we will have a laptop containing the contents of the entire case, including all of the opposing party’s e-mails, business records and all of our trial exhibits. Proficiency with technology is a must.

WLJ: What was your least favorite course in law school and why?
Peterson: Conflicts of Law. I dropped the course during the first week after I learned that I could use a Choice of Law contractual provision instead of memorizing exceptions to legal principles.

WLJ: What do you consider your biggest achievement to date and why?
Peterson: Several years ago I was given the Outstanding Service to Agriculture Award by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau for my work on behalf of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau and Wisconsin’s dairy, beef, corn growers, cheese makers and cranberry grower’s trade associations in defending the constitutionality of Wisconsin’s use value assessment of real estate and right to farm laws.

WLJ: What is the one luxury item you cannot live without?
Peterson: My cell phone.

WLJ: What is one thing attorneys should know that they won’t learn in law school?
Peterson: Try the Golden Rule first. Case referrals often come from attorneys and parties who were once adversaries.

WLJ: What is the first concert you went to?
Peterson: When I was in high school, I saw Buffalo Springfield at the Indian Crossing Casino in Waupaca.

WLJ: If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would it be and why?
Peterson: Warren Buffett — a widely-admired man who is using his wealth to help others.  People listen to every word spoken.

WLJ: What is your motto?
Peterson: I’m not clever enough to make up a motto. I do like: “Life is too short to drink cheap wine.”

WLJ: What is your favorite movie about lawyers or the law and why?
Peterson: “To Kill a Mockingbird.” I began my career in the early 1970s as a research analyst in the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice, working on school desegregation cases in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. I was fortunate to work in many Southern courthouses working on cases to dismantle state-imposed discrimination and barriers to individual achievement. Gregory Peck’s closing argument is a classic and helped change the nation’s attitudes about prejudice.

WLJ: If you hadn’t become a lawyer, what career would you have chosen?
Peterson: I would like to replace Rick Steves and write travel guides to the best destinations, hotels and restaurants in Europe.

Jack Zemlicka can be reached at [email protected].