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MINNESOTA JOURNAL OF LAW AND POLITICS-2010 RISING STAR

Andrew R. Peterson, an attorney with the Virginia law firm of Cope & Peterson, Ltd. has been named a 2010 Rising Star by the Minnesota Journal of Law and Politics. Rising Stars is a product of a rigorous selection process based on peer recognition and professional achievement. The publication asks Minnesota attorneys to nominate the best attorneys who are under the age of 40, or who have been practicing for ten years or less. Only 2.5% of all attorneys in Minnesota receive this recognition as being the top young lawyers in Minnesota. Andy focuses his practice on helping injured people, which includes car and trucking accidents, wrongful death, dog bites, boating and aviation accidents, products liability, and slip and fall accidents. Andy has successfully represented hundreds of personal injury clients in northern Minnesota. Cope & Peterson is a full service law firm that has been serving the legal needs of the residents of northern Minnesota for over 35 years. 

DULUTH SUPERIOR MAGAZINE RECOGNIZES THE BEST OF THE BEST

Duluth, MN – September, 2009.  Duluth Superior Magazine in its first annual list of the best lawyers in the Northland as voted on by their peers, named John Cope, Jeff Peterson, Jim Cope, Alicia Cope, and Andy Peterson the best of the best.  John was recognized for his work in corporate law.  Jeff was recognized for his skill in litigation and also for his work in mediation.  Jim was voted best in divorce/family law.  Alicia was recognized for her expertise in elderly law/probate and Andy was honored for his skill in criminal defense/DUI.  Cope & Peterson is proud that all of its attorneys were recognized as the best of the best.

MSBA CERTIFIES JAMES R. COPE AS A CIVIL TRIAL SPECIALIST

MPLS, MN. The Minnesota State Bar Association announced it has re-certified James R. Cope, Cope & Peterson, LTD. of Virginia, as a Civil Trial Specialist: an attorney who has completed a rigorous approval process to establish full qualification for reliable experience and skills as a specialist in their practice area. MSBA Board Certified Civil Trial Law Specialists have participated in the preparation and trial of significant civil cases. They are familiar with the negotiation and pre-trial process, as well as with the rules of evidence, procedure, and law involved in civil cases. Cope has been certified as a Civil Trial Specialist since 1996. This certification makes Cope one of a limited number of attorneys in Minnesota to have earned the credential. Approximately 2% of the 1,300 attorneys belonging to the MSBA Civil Litigation Section are board certified as civil trial specialists. "Becoming a Board Certified Civil Trial Specialist is one way for me to demonstrate my commitment to civil trial work. I want my clients to have the peace of mind from knowing my credentials have been documented by an independent organization," explains Cope.

Andrew Peterson and Alicia Cope named 2008 "Rising Stars"

Cousins, Andrew R. Peterson and Alicia L. Cope, attorneys with the Virginia law firm of Cope & Peterson, Ltd. have been named 2008 Rising Stars by the Minnesota Journal of Law and Politics. "Rising Stars" is a special designation which is the product of a rigorous selection process based on peer recognition and professional achievement. Only 2.5% of all attorneys in Minnesota receive this recognition as being the top young lawyers in Minnesota. Mr. Peterson focuses his practice on personal injury, which includes car accidents, wrongful death, dog bites, boating accidents, and slip and fall accidents. Mr. Peterson has successfully represented hundreds of personal injury clients in northern Minnesota, many through jury trials. Ms. Cope practices in the areas of real estate, probate, estate planning, elder law and business law. In 2006 Ms. Cope was certified as a Real Property Law Specialist by the MSBA, a credential earned by less than 2% of attorneys practicing law in Minnesota. Fathers and uncles, John F. Cope, H. Jeffrey Peterson, and James R. Cope are proud that the tradition of providing quality legal service to the residents of northern Minnesota is continuing at Cope & Peterson, Ltd.

The Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) announced that attorney Alicia L. Cope of Cope and Peterson, Ltd, Virginia, was certified as a Real Property Law Specialist. To earn the Real Property Law Specialist credential, an attorney must pass an examination in real property law, demonstrate a substantial level of experience and legal education in real estate matters, pass a disciplinary check and successfully obtain objective review by attorneys familiar with the attorney's experience. Only 334, out of approximately 25,000 attorneys currently licensed to practice law in Minnesota, are currently Board Certified as Real Property Law Specialists in Minnesota. "Becoming a Board Certified Real Property Law Specialist is one way to demonstrate my commitment to furthering my education in the area of real estate and for my clients to have peace of mind from knowing my credentials," explains Cope.

H. Jeffrey Peterson recently spoke at the Annual Meeting of the Minnesota Defense Lawyers. The conference was held in Duluth, Minnesota. Mr. Peterson, who has tried in excess of 100 jury trials, spoke on "What Works in Mediations and Arbitrations?" In addition to again being named a Super Lawyer by Minnesota Law & Politics, an honor bestowed upon less than 5% of the attorneys in Minnesota, Mr. Peterson has been named the treasurer of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) for 2007.

Families that practice law together ... (you know the rest)

By Jane Pribek
Special to Minnesota Lawyer

It was just happenstance - and perhaps a little youth and naivete - that brothers-in-law H. Jeffrey Peterson and John F. Cope decided to become partners in law in 1976. Their Virginia, Minn., firm, Cope & Peterson Ltd., has since grown to five attorneys. But, what really makes their story unusual is that all of the lawyers in the firm are related to either Cope or Peterson. All three members of the Cope family who are lawyers work at the firm; as do both the lawyers in the Peterson family. While there is nothing out of the ordinary in families producing multiple lawyers, it is rare, if not unique, that a law firm would be composed of five lawyers drawn from just two families. Part of what made the initial partnership succeed is that they have complementary practices; Jeffrey is a civil litigator, while John changed his focus to transactional work in the mid-70s. "Back then, we weren't competing for work. Rather, we were both looking for work, together," Jeffrey recalls. They found it. And how. To the point where, 11 years later, when John's younger brother, James R. Cope, graduated from law school and joined the firm, he was given a large stack of files and told to "jump in with both feet." But both lawyers also gave him a great deal of guidance, says James, who had earned his J.D. with the sole purpose of returning to Virginia to work with them. It was dejavu all over again, when John's daughter, Alicia L. Cope, and Jeffrey's son, Andrew R. Peterson, started law school in the 1990s. Alicia joined the firm in 1998, followed by Andrew in 2001. The fact that they're all family impresses some clients, says Andrew. It plays well before a jury, adds Jeffrey. And, it's probably more of an asset in a small town like Virginia, where people tend to know everyone else and family still matters, says John. "We all have roots here, and we've been practicing together for a long time. I think that does matter to clients. Clients know we're going to be here. Continuity is worth something to most people."

Coping with the Petersons

They all speak of different benefits when it comes to working for a family run law firm. Jeffrey and John are enjoying the opportunity to work side-by-side with, and teach, their children, who have both gravitated to their fathers' legal concentrations - although both say they've learned quite a bit from the younger generation of lawyers as well. And, both say that, primarily as a result of working so closely with people whom they love, they have no plans to retire anytime soon. In fact, when and if that time would come, because they're in a family firm, they enjoy significant flexibility and would work when needed or when they wanted to work. Flexibility is something that Alicia heralds as well. Now a mother of three, ages 6, 4 and six months, she doubts that any other employer would allow her to start at 6:00 a.m. and leave at 3:00 p.m. to take her daughter to dance, for example. She has additionally benefited from joining a well-established firm, in that she is typically afforded instant credibility and respect because of her surname. She always does her best to live up to it, she notes. For his part, Andrew says the comfort level for him, as a new lawyer, has been phenomenal. He never feels like any question is too elementary, or that he's taking up too much of a senior partner's time, when that senior partner is his own dad. He's also trying or settling sizeable cases - an opportunity many new lawyers don't get until they've put in years of legal research or taken countless depositions. All said that the trust level is high. No one's tracking anyone else's billable hours, and no one's concerned about who's driving the best car. "The work ethic is inbred deeply here," remarks John.

Jane Pribek is an editor-at-large with Dolan Media, Minnesota Lawyer's parent company. She can be reached at janepribek@bellsouth.net.

Reprinted with Permission of Minnesota Lawyer.

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