Peri Fluger '10

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When a Super Bowl commercial airs or a celebrity steps into a brand partnership, the legal groundwork making that moment possible often runs through someone like Peri Fluger ‘10. As general counsel and sole in-house attorney at Ruder Finn, a global public relations, communications, marketing and creative agency with more than 20 agencies worldwide, Fluger spends his days at the crossroads of corporate law, intellectual property and the ever-shifting landscape of influencer marketing, all while fielding calls from Singapore before his New York morning has fully started.

Growing up in Saranac Lake, New York, near Lake Placid, Fluger did not always envision becoming a lawyer. His father worked as a psychologist for the Bureau of Prisons, exposing him to the justice system, but it took time for him to realize that his strengths aligned more with solving problems through contracts than arguing in court.

"I kind of was contrarian in my teenage years," he said. "I didn't know exactly what kind of attorney I wanted to be, but I had a feeling it would lean toward being a transactional attorney."

Fluger entered Widener University Commonwealth Law School through the Trial Admissions Program (TAP), a summer bridge program that helped prepare him for the demands of law school. He graduated second in his class, crediting consistent study habits over cramming.

"I treated studying like a job," he said. "I'd put in the time and then stop."

Several faculty members shaped his approach to the law. Professor Anna Hemingway taught him the value of concise legal writing. Professor John Dernbach provided the foundation for legal analysis, while Professor Robyn Meadows' contracts course became directly relevant to the work he does today. Professor Randy Lee encouraged him to anticipate opposing arguments before committing to his own.

"If I knew what the counterargument was, I was a lot more confident in my own," Fluger said.

Outside the classroom, Fluger immersed himself in moot court, the Trial Advocacy Honor Society and law review, where he focused on entertainment law. Those experiences helped point him toward a career combining law, business and creativity.

After graduation, he began practicing at a Harrisburg law firm before moving in-house to a New York City public relations agency. Today, he advises Ruder Finn on client contracts, intellectual property, influencer marketing, advertising law and corporate matters while collaborating with colleagues around the globe.

"The variety is what makes it fun," he said. "You're working on things people actually recognize."

Artificial intelligence has become one of the fastest-growing areas of his practice. While he still relies on careful human review for contracts, he uses AI as a tool to summarize information, test legal arguments and communicate complex legal concepts more clearly to business leaders.

"It's not bulletproof," he said. "There are hallucinations and errors. But as a tool for getting a quick summary and then checking it against the actual law, it's useful."

AI has also become a frequent topic in contract negotiations. Clients increasingly seek assurances about how AI is used in creative work, while agencies must navigate evolving copyright questions, privacy concerns and rapidly changing regulations.

For students considering a similar career path, Fluger believes data privacy, technology and intellectual property law offer significant opportunities, particularly when paired with mergers and acquisitions experience.

"If you can stand out as someone who knows data privacy, technology law, IP law and mergers and acquisitions, that's what's going to make you dangerous as a candidate," he said.

He also encourages students to begin building professional networks early through bar associations, industry organizations and speaking opportunities.

Fluger is the first attorney in his family, and he built his career one step at a time through curiosity, discipline and a willingness to follow the work that interested him most. Looking back, his biggest piece of advice has little to do with grades.

"Don't diminish your personal life for school," he said. "Clock in, clock out. Study for a couple of hours, then go to dinner with friends. Go to a movie. You have to still be a person while you're doing this, or you will burn out."

For Fluger, law school provided the foundation, but practice is where everything came together.

"You did the best you could, and no matter where you land, you're going to find where you fit," he said. "Law school teaches you how to think. The real practice of law, that's where your brain actually figures things out. And that part? It's pretty fun."

Interview conducted in Summer 2026.