Doug Peterson practices in the area of complex business litigation. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota from 1986 through 1997, he tried a variety of criminal cases, including white collar prosecutions of tax, fraud and money laundering offenses. As a federal prosecutor, Doug also argued numerous cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

The shareholder-in-charge of the firm’s Mankato office and a member of the firm’s Business Litigation practice group, Doug represents:

• Business owners and their companies in commercial disputes with contract, tax and fraud implications.
• Corporations and executives in connection with fraud-related internal investigations, civil litigation, government inquiries and criminal proceedings.
• Closely held businesses and shareholders entangled in disputes between shareholders, Board members, officers and key employees.
• Family members and other heirs in probate litigation addressing issues of estate planning, tax, real estate and corporate governance.
• Hospitals and medical professionals facing health care litigation, qui tam actions and government investigations involving allegations implicating the False Claims Act and Medicare law.

In addition, Doug served as clerk for the Honorable Robert G. Renner, U.S. District Judge for the District of Minnesota, in 1984. Doug has been named among The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Criminal Defense: White-Collar, and has also been recognized by Benchmark Litigation for his reputable and effective litigation work, as recommended by his clients and peers. In 2012, he was named to Super Lawyers® elite ranking of the Top 100 Lawyers in Minnesota.

Professional and Civic Activities

• Civil Justice Reform Task Force, appointed by the Minnesota Supreme Court 
• Federal Practice Committee, District of Minnesota, 2011-2013 
• Advisory Council, National Security Forum of William Mitchell College of Law
• Member, Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners, 2010-2012
• Member, Minnesota State Bar Association
• Former co-chair, Minnesota State Bar Association, Criminal Justice Act Committee, 1994-1998
• Former member, District of Minnesota CM/ECF Committee, 2003-2004
• Former member, Minnesota State Bar Association, Rules of Professional Conduct Committee, 1994-1998
• Former member, Federal Advisory Committee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, 1993-1996

Doug’s work builds on his experience as a former federal prosecutor and is illustrated by the following representative cases:

• Representation of former CEO of a Minnesota corporation through a series of civil and criminal litigation in what the U.S. Attorney’s Office has publicized as the “largest tax case ever brought in the District of Minnesota.”
• Lead counsel in successful defense of a food industry corporation facing a criminal antitrust investigation by Antitrust Division of U.S. Department of Justice.
• Handling internal investigations for medical device manufacturers, hospitals and medical industry professionals.
• Appearances before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, including arguing the reach of the “public policy” barring the shifting of a corporate fine via a private stock sale agreement.
• Counsel to executives facing government and internal inquiries into Foreign Corrupt Practices Act matters.
• Prosecuting a civil lawsuit described by the Star Tribune as the “granddaddy” of real estate fraud cases.
• Defending executives in government investigations conducted by a range of agencies, including the FBI, IRS, U.S. Postal Service, Department of Commerce, and U.S. Customs Service.
• Serving as counsel to a Court-appointed personal representative in probate litigation necessary to sort out allegations of fraud and conflicts of interest, a dispute settled after a favorable summary judgment ruling and subsequent mediation.
• Defending the Minnesota Timberwolves in arbitration proceedings involving the NBA and its Players Association.
• Defending a restaurant executive facing criminal indictment, securities allegations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and related civil litigation.
• Counsel to businesses and their employees in various State of Minnesota proceedings, including tax and environmental matters, Commerce Department actions, and civil investigations by the Attorney General’s Office.

Education

• J.D., cum laude, Harvard Law School, 1982
• B.A., summa cum laude, Yale University, 1979
       Phi Beta Kappa

Admissions

• State of Minnesota, 1982
• U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, 1982
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, 1987