Q&A with Jason Peak
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Q&A
Q&A with Jason Peak
A shareholder with Laxalt Law Group Ltd. in Reno, NV, Jason Peak has been a member of the firm since 2002. He practices general litigation, including construction defect, product liability, and personal injury matters.
A native of Kansas, Peak earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice from the University of Nevada Reno in 1994 and his juris doctor from Willamette University College of Law in 1999.
Q: Before becoming an attorney, what was your first job?
A: My very first job was mowing lawns for several family members, neighbors, family friends and our church in my little hometown in Southeast Kansas. It wasn’t much, but it provided the foundation for learning how to form and keep a schedule, manage my time and make people happy by meeting their quirky mowing pattern requests.
Q: What motivated you to pursue a legal career?
A: Honestly, I had nothing else going on. Originally, I intended to apply for many graduate programs and after taking the GRE I decided to take the LSAT. My score came back better than expected so I applied to a couple of different law schools near where I was living at the time and got accepted. Up to that point, I felt that law school was way over my head and too lofty of a goal. Just goes to show that unless you take the shot, you’ll never hit the target, so you might as well get an arrow in the air and see what happens.
Q: Who was your chief mentor and how did he or she influence your career?
A: This is a tough one. I learned a lot from many attorneys along the way, but I have to say that my dad is probably the best mentor I could have ever asked for. He was the first in our family to go to college and after almost two decades of working full-time and going to school part-time he became a college professor. That level of dedication, hard work, planning, and foresight luckily rubbed off on me and provided the best roadmap I could have asked for in getting to where I am today.
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
A: Work hard, write well, and stay organized. Pretty much speaks for itself and certainly applies to all facets of life.
Q: What is one thing you would like to learn to do?
A: Two things come to mind here—play guitar and ice skate. Both are on my list of things to eventually tackle and it’s about time I followed through.
Q: What is your proudest career achievement?
A: Obtaining a seven-figure settlement for a client who was significantly injured where we had to circumvent some tricky disclaimer language contained on the back of a ticket he used to attend a very prominent event.
Q: What other career path might you have chosen?
A: Most definitely would have been in law enforcement had I not gone to law school, with the eventual goal of becoming a state or federal game warden.
Q: What is your most treasured material possession?
A: A signed photo of Brett Hull, one of the all-time great St. Louis Blues hockey players. I have been a Blues fan all my life and went to law school with his sister. She was kind enough to have him send me an autographed photo after I unashamedly let her know what a fanboy I had become over the years.
Q: What is your happiest childhood memory?
A: This has to be either bass fishing on our little pond with my best friend or playing baseball with the older boys in our town and being able to hold my own. It’s too hard to pick one over the other.
Q: What is your favorite movie and book?
A: Movie: The one movie that I will stop everything and watch if it’s on is “Pulp Fiction.” Any movie where the TBS edited version is unwatchable should be in everyone’s Top 3, at least.
Book: Every couple of years I re-read “The Four Agreements.” I keep a dog-earred copy on my mantel and refer to it often. It provides a helpful reminder of how we should keep things in perspective and inspires empathy, self-awareness, and focus on the right things.
Jason Peak
Q: What is the most awe-inspiring place you have visited?
A: The Northwest Territories in Canada. Rugged, primitive and incredibly spiritual. There is nothing better for the soul than camping 100 miles from the nearest human under the Northern Lights in a place where there is at least one grizzly bear per square mile.
Q: What are your favorite leisure time pursuits?
A: I spend a lot of time keeping up with my kids, watching baseball, bowhunting in terrible conditions, and fly-fishing in beautiful places. If I get a spare weekend, I will either go for a hike and camp off the beaten path or play some golf. I try to not let the grass grow under my feet.
Q: What is your favorite famous or inspirational quote?
A: “If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe.”—Abe Lincoln. It demonstrates that if you have a goal you want to achieve, the best thing to do is plan and prepare for success with focus and intention.
Q: Who is on your guest list for the ideal dinner party?
A: In addition to family and my closest friends, I would want to have dinner with Teddy Roosevelt and Edward Abbey to talk about their perspectives on nature and conservation, and then have Rodney Dangerfield and Will Ferrell show up late to see where the hell the night ends up.
Q: What are the top four items on your bucket list?
A: Spend a week in Peru to experience the culture, and then rent a car and drive across Bolivia to end up in a little spot with nothing but a fly rod and a friend to make sure I don’t get into too much trouble. Harvest all four North American wild sheep with my bow. Catch a permit on a fly rod. Go to a baseball game in every MLB ballpark.