When Don Petersen talks, his words reflect the random reality of his existence. Frankly, he's just a Detroit punk who has ridden the waves of life to their extreme. Yeah, he grew up on food stamps and welfare, his dad was in prison, he barely made it out of high school, and he dropped out of community college. But he sure learned a lot about life in the process.He somehow ended up at the University of Chicago, and he was teaching economics at Harvard University by the time he was 24. And he is an honors graduate from Harvard Law School.
Petersen has lived life after law school the same way that he lived it before law school. He began his law firm when he was 30 and spent 12 years representing business investors. He knows how to get deals done, and why they get done. He’s been to Moscow, China, and all over the United States. Indeed, and as detailed in the October 7, 2008, Wall Street Journal, when three Russians wanted to buy the 3rd largest auction house in the world, they hired Petersen.
While a lawyer, Petersen kept busy. He taught economics at Oakland University for 9 years. He’s also a graduate of the Second City Conservatory for improvisational comedy, and has been a stand-up comic for 10 years. He has performed at the Flamingo, the Comedy Castle, and at clubs all over the country and some parts of Canada.
When he tired of practicing law, he continued his comedic and speaking career, but he became a law professor at Cooley Law School. He has been teaching and talking about Secured Transactions and Sports Law for almost 5 years. He comments on radio stations all over the country about a variety of business and legal issue, including sports law.
Petersen is somebody you want to hear – somebody with something to say.
Petersen creates an intelligent and entertaining presentation that irreverently exposes the hypocrisies of everyday life – in a way that helps you understand them. Nothing is sacred, and everything can be understood. He combines the sarcasm necessary to survive Detroit with the sardonic wit necessary to tolerate Harvard. He discusses business, the economy, and whatever you want in a well-crafted delivery – all-the-while emphasizing the importance of hard work and perseverance.
Some call him clever. Some call him edgy. Everyone calls him funny.