Laura Petersen, a partner in the law firm Quinn, Johnston, Henderson & Pretorius, Chtd., is waiting for Hollywood to call, but until it does, she can't imagine any other career than the law. "My dream job, honestly, would be acting in a sitcom. However, as far as a practical career choice is concerned, being an attorney is my top choice. I had always considered law as a profession; however, when I was young, I heard there were far too many attorneys and that the market was saturated. At that point, I determined I would be involved in a corporate job of one sort or another. It wasn't until my sophomore year of college that I decided I would go to law school, and I don't regret it for a minute."

A native of the Chicago suburb of Libertyville, Petersen knew the Chicago area wasn't where she wanted to practice law. "After my first year in law school, my father-in-law-an attorney who practiced in Peoria-suggested I consider looking at Peoria, as I wasn't interested in working in a big city like Chicago. I clerked at the Westervelt firm in Peoria for the summer after my first year of law school. It was a wonderful experience that convinced me I wanted to practice law and that I wanted to practice law in Peoria. The following summer, I clerked at Heyl, Royster Voelker & Allen. After graduating and taking the bar, I started working at Quinn. I love practicing law in central Illinois; there's a very collegial atmosphere among members of the bar, unlike Chicago and other large cities."

Petersen's practice is primarily devoted to medical malpractice defense and health law. "The litigation aspect involves my representing health care providers, hospitals, and other health care entities when they're sued in a civil lawsuit. I also represent other professionals and companies in civil litigation. My health law practice is more of a transactional nature. It involves reviewing and drafting various documents-contracts, bylaws, policies, and procedures-and handling health professional credentialing, confidentiality, risk management, and regulatory issues. I also do a substantial amount of appellate work on all types of civil cases handled at our firm," she said.

The road to this specialty began in her second year of law school, according to Petersen. "Students start taking electives that apply to the type of law they want to practice, and I started with corporate law classes. I didn't enjoy them, so I switched to litigation-based courses. I discovered that my personality is better suited for litigation, as I enjoy taking depositions and making arguments in court."

Her interest was further piqued when she joined Quinn, Johnston, Henderson & Pretorius. "Firm members have practice experience in litigation, business and commercial law, and health law. When new associates start working at Quinn, they work in all different areas of litigation to get a broad experience and to see what type of work they like. I really enjoyed the health law and professional negligence aspects of the practice, and, fortunately for me, my firm had a growing need in that area," she said.

In her career, Petersen said she spends about 60 percent of the time out of the office meeting with clients, attending depositions, or participating in court hearings all around the state. "The remainder of the time, I'm in the office working on health law issues and on the day-to-day aspects of professional negligence cases. The litigation work I do in the office includes preparing discovery responses; preparing for depositions; researching relevant issues; speaking with clients and experts; and writing motions, appellate briefs, and opinion letters."

One of her favorite parts of the job, she said, is oral argument-especially at the appellate court level. "I thoroughly enjoy drafting and arguing major motions and appellate briefs. I also enjoy the large amount of client interaction associated with my type of work, regardless of whether it relates to litigation or health law issues."

Since she's entered health care law, Petersen said she's learned the regulations are incredibly complex and change relatively often compared with some other areas of the law. "It seems like just when we understand what the government wants health care providers to do, it changes the regulation. I've also learned there truly is a malpractice crisis in our state. I've had clients leave the state or quit practicing medicine altogether due to rising malpractice insurance premiums and the threat of personal liability due to an adverse judgment. This situation is worse in southern Illinois, due to higher jury verdicts there. People don't realize how fortunate we are to have such excellent health care available in Peoria. However, it's becoming harder to attract physicians in Illinois. One area physician's son just completed his residency but decided to practice in Indiana instead of Peoria, due to the malpractice crisis in Illinois."

Petersen said the best aspect of her career is that it's very people-oriented. "I like that I get out of the office and have the opportunity to meet many people with my work. I'd go crazy if I had to sit at my desk all day drafting documents. Fortunately, my practice is good mix of litigation and transactional-type work. The most challenging aspect is that there's too much work for the number of hours in a day."

She adds to her packed schedule by dedicating herself to many charitable endeavors in the community. "I'm involved in several organizations, projects, and activities in the tri-county area, but I'm the most involved in the Junior League of Peoria, Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Peoria County Bar Association," Petersen said. "There are so many ways to get involved with various causes in Peoria. People should choose something that not only supports a cause in which they believe, but also is enjoyable to do. While volunteer work can be challenging, it can also be fun. There are definitely times when I feel I've overextended myself, but when you see the rewards of your efforts-a smile from a child or a thank you from an underprivileged member of the community who can't afford legal services-it's all worthwhile."

In addition to her personal goal of starting a family with her husband, Tyler, Petersen said professionally, she'd love to argue an appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court. "Due to the limited number of appeals accepted by the Supreme Court, however, chances of this are limited. I do look forward to arguing cases before the Illinois Supreme Court." TPW