Robert E. Wallace Jr., former general counsel and executive vice president of the St. Louis Rams, has joined Thompson Coburn LLP where he will pursue a business law practice and lead the firm’s Sports Law Group.
Wallace, who has 30-plus years of experience in both the St. Louis business community and the national sports arena, will serve as a legal counselor to business clients and also represent teams, prospective buyers of sports teams, sports marketing companies and civic and government entities facing team relocation or facility issues. He also will assist players, coaches and executives with contract negotiations and separations.
“I’m looking forward to this new chapter in my life,” said Wallace, who has also assisted the Philadelphia Eagles and the St. Louis Football Cardinals during his career. “It will give me the chance to take the skills I’ve developed as a lawyer and business executive and put them to use representing clients at Thompson Coburn.”
While most of his practical experience has been in professional sports, he recognizes the growing opportunity in the collegiate market.
“Sports business, including the expanding collegiate and amateur market, has amazing growth potential,” he said. “With the support of a very deep bench of attorneys at Thompson Coburn, our goal is take the firm’s ties to the Midwest sports community and develop a thriving and nationally recognized sports law practice.”
Thompson Coburn Chairman Tom Minogue said that Wallace’s “business acumen, first-class negotiating skills and extensive knowledge of the national sports landscape add a significant breadth and depth of experience for our clients. He is in many ways a St. Louis institution. His strong commitment to our community and dedication to mentoring young lawyers parallels Thompson Coburn’s core values of leadership, collaboration and- diversity. We are honored to have him join our firm.”
After graduating from Yale College in 1978, where he lettered in varsity football, Wallace earned his law degree in 1981 from Georgetown University.
He initially began working for Guilfoil Petzall & Shoemake in St Louis before taking a position with the Eagles. He returned to St. Louis in 1995 when the then Los Angeles Rams moved to St Louis. He spent 16 years with the Rams, serving as executive vice president and general counsel, and becoming one of the highest-ranking African-American club executives in the National Football League. Among other things, he managed the team’s $200 million budget and served as lead negotiator in the renaming of the Rams’ stadium to the Edward Jones Dome.
Wallace, who left the Rams in March 2011 after his contract expired, has strong ties with the Sports Lawyers Association, where he is immediate past president. He has also forged deep ties to the St. Louis community, serving on the board of directors for Giant Steps, a St. Louis school and therapy center for children with autism, as well as the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.
Thompson Coburn has 350 attorneys nationwide, with offices in Chicago, St. Louis, Southern Illinois and Washington, D.C. Prior to Wallace joining the firm, Thompson Coburn did not have a formal group dedicated to sports business.
