Donald K. S. Petersen
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Practice Areas
- Commercial Transactions 50%
- Litigation 50%
Biography
Don is a former Harvard economics professor who has taught micro- and macroeconomics at Harvard, Harvard Law School, and Oakland University. At Harvard Law School, he also taught International Economics and Income Taxation through the International Tax Program. In addition, he taught Negotiation, Sports Law, and Mediation at Cooley, as well as Secured Transactions at SMU.
Don's practice is split between handling commercial transactions and pursuing litigation. His transactional experience ranges from representing the buyer of a $30 million art-auction house to representing the seller of a $50,000 piece of vacant property. Don's litigation practice ranges from successfully representing one of the largest semi-conductor manufacturers in the world in a lawsuit against a competing semi-conductor manufacturer to representing a mother in a custody and child-support matter.
If you need help with a real estate or contract matter, call or email Don today.
Education
- Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- J.D. - 1989
- Honors: cum laude
- University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
- B.S. - 1986
- Honors: summa cum laude
- Major: Economics
Certified Legal Specialties
Professional Associations
- Illinois State Bar Association, Member, 1989 to Present
- Michigan State Bar, 1991 (Member)
- State Bar of Texas, 2014 to Present
Bar Admissions
- Illinois, 1989
- Michigan, 1991
- Texas, 2014
Honors
- Professor of the Year
- Professor of the Year
- Excellence in Legal Instruction
Classes & Seminars
- Contracts, 2026 to Present
- Secured Transactions, 2005 to Present
- Property Law, 2005 to 2013
- Negotiation, Mediation, etc., 2008 to 2013
- Anger Management, Retail Fraud, etc., 2019 to Present
Past Positions
- Private Practice Attorney, Attorney
- Cooley Law School, Professor, 2004 to 2013
- Harvard, Adjunct Professor
- Harvard Law School, Economics Professor
- Harvard, Economics Professor
- Harvard Law School Professor, International Economics and Income Taxation
- Oakland University, Professor
Languages
- English
Ancillary Businesses
References
Representative Clients
Pro-Bono Activities
Published Works
- Security Interests in Personal Property, 3rd Edition, Thomson Reuters/West, 2016
- Hidden Security Interests: A Secured Transaction When You Least Expect It, T.M. Cooley Journal of Pr. and Clin Law, v. 10, Issue 1, 2007
- Superhuman-Biotechnology’s Emerging Impact on the Law, Thomas M. Cooley Law Review, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 1–80 (2008) (with Marion Hilligan, Nelson Miller, and Chris Hastings).
- Raymond Nimmer, Commercial Asset-Based Financing (West, 2009), Chapter 6: “Foreclosure Sales & Disposition.”
- Raymond Nimmer, Commercial Asset-Based Financing (West, 2009), Chapter 7: “Recording and Perfection.”
- Raymond Nimmer, Commercial Asset-Based Financing (West, 2009), Chapter 8: “Priorities and Perfection.”
- Cyber Liability & Insurance, National Underwriter Company (2009), Chapter 1: “Understanding Intangible Assets.”
- Cyber Liability & Insurance, National Underwriter Company (2009), Chapter 2: “Valuation of Intangible Assets.”
- Review of The Consciousness of the Litigator by Duffy Graham, Journal of Markets & Morality, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 370–372 (2005) (with Nelson Miller).
- “Fred Lasher,” in Sock It to ’Em Tigers: The Incredible Story of the 1968 Detroit Tigers, Maple Street Press (2008).
- “Dan Petry,” in Detroit Tigers 1984: What a Start! What a Finish!, Society for American Baseball Research (2012).
Fraternities or Sororities
Current Employment Position
- Senior Counsel