D. Peter Wise

• AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated.
• Peer selected as a Leading Lawyer in the areas of: Criminal Defense Law: Felonies and Misdemeanors; Criminal Defense Law: DUI; Criminal Defense Law: White Collar.
• Profiled by Leading Lawyer magazine. To read the article about Peter, click here.

Peter Wise is a founding partner of Gates, Wise & Schlosser, P.C. of Springfield, Illinois. For more than thirty years Peter has successfully defended persons accused of all manner of federal and state criminal offenses, including: white collar crimes; possession and distribution of narcotics; capital first degree murder; vehicular homicide; crimes of violence; sex offenses; counterfeiting; domestic battery; and arson. Peter is a past president of the Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and is also a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Previously he has served as a faculty member for the Illinois State Public Defender trial advocacy program.

Peter was lead counsel in People of the State Illinois v James Huff. Mr. Huff was charged with home invasion, sexual assault and capital first degree murder of a family member. He was acquitted of all counts of intentional and knowing murder and acquitted of four of five felony murder counts so that Mr. Huff was NOT eligible for the death penalty.

Peter has written articles on criminal law issues that have been published in legal journals and magazines. The articles he has written have covered a range of topics including: illegal search and seizure; cross examination; presentation of evidence; and trial tactics and strategy. Peter has also lectured at continuing legal education seminars on criminal law issues such as: search and seizure; winning trial tactics; scientific evidence; and trial preparation.

Peter also authored an article for the IACDL newsletter titled “Operation Valkyrie: Illinois Version of the Drug Courier Profile.” Peter has successfully represented many persons who were stopped on an interstate highway, and that stop grew into a search, seizure and drug related charges.

AV®, BV®, AV Preeminent® and BV Distinguished® are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Further information may be found here.

Information regarding the selection of Leading Lawyers may be found here.

Published Works

• Author, “A Plaintiffs Counsels’ Guide to Corporate Scienter and Discovering the Basis of Punitive Damages in Products Litigation”, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association Journal, Vol. 5, No. 2, Spring/Summer, 1983
• “An Overview of Federal Rule of Evidence 702 in Seventh Circuit Criminal Law Decisions”, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, Spring and Summer Journal, 1986
• “Operation Valkyrie: Illinois’ Version of the Drug Courier Profile”, Illinois Attorneys for Criminal Justice Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 1, Winter, 1989
• “DCFS Code of Ethics Proves to be a Boon for Father Accused of Sexual Assault and a Bane for the Prosecution”, Illinois Attorneys for Criminal Justice Newsletter, Winter/Spring, 1999

Representative Cases

• U.S. v. Lanterman, 76 F.3d 158 (7th Cir. 1996)
• U.S. v. Beler, 20 F.3d 1428 (7th Cir. 1994)
• U.S. v. Sablotny, 21 F.2d 747 (7th Cir. 1993)
• Arkebauer v. Kiley, 985 F.2d 1351 (7th Cir. 1993)
• U.S. v. Garcia, 986 F.2d 1135 (7th. Cir. 1993)
• U.S. v. Erwin, 902 F.2d 510 (7th. Cir. 1990)
• Arkebauer v. Kiley, 751 F.Supp. 783 (C.D.Ill. 1990)
• People v. Coleman, 2014 IL App (5th) 110274, 24 N.E.3d 373 (5th Dist. 2014)
• People v. Slover, 2011 IL App (4th) 100276, 959 N.E.2d 72 (4th Dist. 2011)
• People v. Danenberger, 364 Ill.App.3d 936, 848 N.E.2d 637 (2d Dist. 2006)
• People v. Gott, 346 Ill.App.3d 236, 803 N.E.2d 900 (5th Dist. 2004)
• People v. Morgan, 307 Ill.App.3d 707, 240 Ill.Dec. 725 (4th Dist. 1999)
• In the Matter of Clark, 246 Ill.App.3d 362, 615 N.E.2d 1244 (4th Dist. 1993)
• People v. Huisinga, 242 Ill.App.3d 418, 610 N.E.2d 168 (4th Dist. 1993)
• Barter v. Slayback, 235 Ill.App.3d 18, 600 N.E.2d 538 (5th Dist. 1992)

Classes / Seminars Taught

• Defending Criminal Cases in Illinois, 2011
• 5 Key Aspects to Defending a Narcotics Charge, 2010
• Defending IL Criminal Cases, 2008
• Illinois Public Defender Voir Dire and Extended Trial Advocacy Workshop, 2007
• Defending Drug Cases in Illinois, 2007
• From Voir Dire to Sentencing – Criminal Defense From A to Z, 2007
• Defending IL Death Penalty Cases, 2006, 2007, 2008
• Search & Seizure Symposium, University of Illinois College of Law, 1994
• Lecturer, Effective Use of Discovery in Criminal Cases, Law Ed Series, Illinois State Bar Association, 1990
• Illinois State Appellate Defender’s Public Defender Trial Advocacy Program, Chicago-Kent IIT College of Law, Faculty