This week’s “Five Questions with…” feature Diane Puthoff infuses creativity into her law practice and has passed that on to her Lego-building children.

1. What made you want to become a lawyer? I grew up knowing the law as my father is also a lawyer and former judge.  I can recall at a young age poking my fingers under the door of my dad’s office as he was studying/working and begging him to take a break and play.  His devotion to the law grew on me as I got older.  At Marquette University I branched out into business classes and considered switching entirely into the business field, but then became aware of the how business world could intertwine with the law, and so I ended up obtaining my Master’s in Business Administration while at Creighton Law School so that I could practice business law.

2. What do you do for fun? I spend time with my family!   Two of my kids are swimmers for the local Pleasant Valley Piranhas swim club, so we spend a lot of time at the pool and at swim competitions.  My 3^rd child loves to play outdoor sports, so when the weather is nice we spend a lot of time outside at baseball games, soccer matches and in our neighborhood with other families.

3. What’s your favorite place in the Quad Cities? My family loves to go to the Putnam Museum to hang out, and go to their weekend/summer camps and the LEGO Robotics competitions.  I grew up in the Quad Cities and can recall going to visit the mummies and class field trips to the Putnam – my husband and I have tried to ingrain the same love of museums in our children.

4. Why have you chosen to focus on estate planning and corporate law? To me, estate planning and corporate law are like puzzles – every business and family is different and no two succession and estate “plans” will work for all businesses or families. I get to listen to each person that comes in the door, hear their personal and business needs and then help them to craft a business and legacy to leave behind.  It is important to strike a balance as a listening ear, adviser and confidant and then bring to each client a finished product that satisfies their goals.  Whether it be succession planning in a family business or passing wealth and family mementos to the next generation, I can be creative in how we approach each person’s goals for the long term.

5. How do you get your news? –sites, apps, RSS, etc? Well, I am a bit old-fashioned I suppose – I still read the Quad City Times every morning.  I also enjoy the watching the local news on TV in the mornings and national news each evening.

Diane practices primarily on our Corporate Law team. Learn more about her work at https://l-wlaw.com/attorneys/diane-e-puthoff/.