Dewey Pegno & Kramarsky / Q&A with Co-Founder Dave Pegno

Dave Pegno, a founding member of the firm, has a wide range of experience in commercial litigation and arbitration matters in state and federal courts in New York and throughout the United States. Dave also has extensive experience in insurance law and bankruptcy litigation. On top of his courtroom work, he manages the day-to-day operations of the firm.

Below, Dave discusses why he became a lawyer, the most rewarding part of his career so far, and the lasting impact of his first job.

What’s the best advice you can give to someone who just started their career?

This is going to sound a little curmudgeonly, but be diligent, work hard, show up on time, and always remember that there is a lot more that you don’t know than you do.

What was your first job?

I had a Newsday paper route in grade school, and I still have the dog bite scar to prove it.

Any tips for a successful meeting/hearing?

Be prepared, and don’t say anything unless you can back it up. Credibility is critical.

What has been the most rewarding part of your career to date?

I worked on a lot of great cases with terrific clients, but I have to say that helping to build and maintain our firm, and in the process providing careers and a good living to our lawyers, staff and their families, has been tremendously rewarding. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I do most of the day-to-day management of the firm (for better or worse), so in addition to being a lawyer in a lot of ways I also run a business.

What made you want to be a lawyer?

I started thinking about becoming a lawyer when I was in high school, because I thought it played to my strengths – I am much more of a verbal/writing person than a math/science one. As I went through college, I wasn’t strongly drawn to any other careers. I always loved and did well in my history classes and thought about pursuing that further, but the idea of being in academia didn’t really excite me. Finance, which is the career many of my high school and college friends pursued, didn’t attract me. So I finally decided rather late in college to go to law school, because I thought it would give me a lot of career options, both as a lawyer and otherwise. Then I got hooked on litigation, and decided to go that route, which has suited me just fine.

What’s the best book you’ve read recently?

Willa Cather’s My Antonia. It was the first book of hers that I read. Very American, beautifully written with very clean prose. But everyone should read Stoner by John Edward Williams - as I think someone said, it's the greatest novel you’ve never heard of.

What’s the most exciting part of your job?

Trial work, if by exciting you mean terrifying. Trials take an enormous amount of work, and they can be very stressful and difficult, but when things go right they can be really fun and satisfying.

What’s something you’re proud of?

My family, of course. I have a wonderful wife, four great kids, and a terrific daughter-in-law. I am thankful for them every day. On the professional side, I’ll go back to my answer about the most rewarding part of my career. I am very proud to have been able to work with my partners and colleagues here at DPK over the past nearly 27 years, of the firm that we have been able to build, and that in the process we have been able to help our clients with their complex legal issues.

What’s your favorite food?

Things you can eat. If pressed to be more specific, I guess I would go with Italian. I make passable meatballs and sauce.

What’s your favorite movie?

That’s a tough one. I would probably go with the Godfather saga (I and II, like most people I try to forget about III). A close second would be Dr. Strangelove. I even used a variation of its alternative title (or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb) in the title of my law review note. I’m not sure how I got away with that.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Much more of a morning person. My family makes fun of me when I go to bed early to read a book before turning in for the night. I never got with the law firm culture of staying late at work and then coming in late the next day. When I am busy I am much more likely to be in at 8am to get things done and then get home at a decent hour, although these days the work follows you wherever you go.

Are you a coffee or tea person?

Two cups of coffee every morning, black, strictly as caffeine delivery systems.

Which historical figure would you most like to meet?

There are so many. I guess someone who comes to mind because he has been in the news recently because of a ridiculous interview is Winston Churchill. Not without his flaws, I view him as perhaps the greatest person of the 20th Century. Brilliant and funny, I’d love to have a drink with him.

What’s your favorite season?

I guess I’d have to go with summer. We spend as much time as we can during the summer at our house on the North Fork of Long Island, which I really enjoy. I do like a change of season though so I don’t mind New York winters.

What three items would you take with you to a deserted island?

The collected works of P.G. Wodehouse, a Shake Shack franchise, and a solar-powered satellite telephone so I can call the Coast Guard and ask them to come and get me.

What’s your idea of a perfect day?

A nice Saturday on the North Fork, go for a run in the morning, work around the house and garden in the afternoon, then have a few friends over for dinner and a nice bottle of wine, ending up the evening at the fire pit. And in bed by 11pm.