About D. Peter
D. Peter Wise trained as a lawyer in Chicago and New Orleans, earning a J.D. from The John Marshall Law School in 1984 after completing a B.A. at Tulane University in 1981. He entered the bar in the 1980s and built a practice that spans both state and federal courts. His education set a foundation for a career that combines courtroom work and bar leadership.
Early in his career Wise gained admission to practice in Illinois and to several federal jurisdictions. He is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois and the Southern District of Illinois, the Seventh Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Those admissions have allowed him to handle matters at trial and to pursue appeals when cases moved beyond the courtroom of first instance.
He is a partner at Gates, Wise, Schlosser & Goebel. At the firm he has spent decades in litigation practice. Colleagues describe him as steady in court and thorough in preparation. His memberships reflect the kinds of cases he handles: trial work and criminal defense figure prominently among them.
Wise has been active in professional organizations across the state and nationally. He holds membership in the Illinois State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and what was formerly known as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. He is also a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Illinois Lawyers for Criminal Justice and the Sangamon County Bar Association. In Sangamon County he served in leadership roles in the criminal defense bar, taking office as Secretary in 1987 and then serving as President from 1988 to 1989. Those positions reflected peers’ trust and kept him engaged in issues affecting local practice.
Throughout his career Wise has combined courtroom representation, appellate work and bar service. He has managed cases in both federal and state systems and maintained involvement in organizations that shape practice standards. Current practice takes place at Gates, Wise, Schlosser & Goebel, where he represents clients in matters brought in Illinois state courts and in the federal courts to which he is admitted.
