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In the early aughts, a special investigative committee combed through WorldCom’s past accounting practices amid suspicions that the company overstated its assets. As an early career professional at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Robert Peters was one of the lucky few to assist the investigation, which went on to be one of the largest corporate accounting fraud cases in US history.
That invaluable experience opened his eyes to a wide variety of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), business, and accounting matters and sparked his interest in pursuing a career in law.
“As part of a team that assisted the special investigative committee of the board of directors of WorldCom, I worked closely with attorneys and accountants and saw how business and law intersected,” Peters says. “It really exposed me to how dynamic and multidisciplinary a career in law can be.”
While he came out of that investigation inspired and ready for law school, the start of his legal journey was far from smooth sailing. After graduating from New York University School of Law during the 2007-08 financial crisis—one of the most severe worldwide economic crises since the Great Depression—he joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher in New York and subsequently relocated to Houston and joined Vinson & Elkins, where he advised clients across various industries on complex M&A, securities, and restructuring transactions. Through those early, challenging experiences as a young corporate transactional attorney, he learned the importance of being adaptable and embracing change as an opportunity to grow and make an impact.
“Dealing with change is difficult, but to succeed in today’s business environment, it is critical to develop the ability and mindset to embrace change.”
Robert Peters
“The instability of the global markets during the early years of my career provided me a unique opportunity to learn about many different areas of the law that I never anticipated getting involved in,” he shares.
“Those experiences helped me to develop a greater understanding and appreciation for the challenges facing businesses in our rapidly evolving business environment and taught me the importance of being adaptable, comfortable with change, and to seek out opportunities in the midst of change,” Peters says.
That mindset served him well when he transitioned in-house at B/E Aerospace, where he played an integral role advising the company in its acquisition by Rockwell Collins. He then joined BP, where he provided legal support to its global treasury function during the company’s shift in strategy to reimagine energy and increase its investments in clean, reliable, affordable energy.
In 2021, amid the pandemic, Peters joined Walgreens Boots Alliance—an integrated healthcare, pharmacy and retail leader across the US, Europe, and Latin America—where he currently serves as senior counsel to the company’s global treasury function.
As the company seeks to reimagine local healthcare and well-being for all as part of its purpose, it helps to have an adaptable leader like Peters to assist in navigating unprecedented changes.
“Dealing with change is difficult, but to succeed in today’s business environment, it is critical to develop the ability and mindset to embrace change. My ability to adapt enables me to be a trusted advisor and business partner, helping to find ways to drive the company’s business forward and deliver business results while maintaining a level of high integrity and sound risk management,” Peters says.
In addition to assisting Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) achieve its financial and operational goals, Peters has looked to bring his leadership to the DEI space. He currently serves as a subcommittee chair of the company’s legal DEI committee, which recently helped the legal department receive Mansfield 3.0 Certification Plus status.
The certification is awarded to legal departments that implement “a behavioral science and data-driven approach to expanding the pool of qualified talent considered for leadership that included at least 50 percent historically underrepresented individuals, such as women lawyers, racial and ethnic lawyers, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities,” according to Diversity Lab.
The certification not only speaks to WBA’s commitment to diversity, but also to a sense of responsibility that Peters feels for achieving it, he says.
“As a junior lawyer, I saw pretty good diversity in the lower ranks at law firms, but as I advanced, the diversity of those around me waned,” he remembers.
“Despite tremendous efforts in the DEI space over the last decade, women and minorities remain well under-represented at law firms and in-house law departments, particularly in leadership positions,” Peters says.
“With the challenges presented to the current landscape of DEI, it’s been an area that I have dedicated more time and energy to ensure that the company continues to recruit the best and most qualified candidates and that we provide the appropriate level of support and encouragement to ensure that all employees have an opportunity to advance and take on leadership roles at WBA,” he says.
“And, one never knows, they may find a passion in another area of law that they may have never considered before.”
Robert Peters
A huge part of that support trickles down from strong mentors. That’s why the company’s legal DEI committee provides coaching and mentor support to students at the Chicago Legal Prep Charter Academy, helping students improve their public speaking and debate skills.
Outside of that program, Peters also takes it upon himself to informally mentor young attorneys within and outside of the company. A piece of advice he offers to young attorneys is to apply the same mindset and work ethic that helped them succeed in law school to the first few years of their legal practice.
“I highly encourage young attorneys to take the opportunity to learn as much as they can about different areas of the law and set aside the time to speak to and build relationships with the attorneys and clients that you represent,” he says.
“Even if they are committed to a particular area of law, they will be better attorneys if they understand how their area of expertise fits into the bigger picture of the client’s goals and are able to adapt to any unexpected events. And, one never knows, they may find a passion in another area of law that they may have never considered before,” Peters advises.
