For Robert Wallace, head of the Sports Law Group at Thompson Coburn, wearing two hats as a lawyer and executive, is, well … old hat.
So, when the opportunity arose for the St. Louis sports lawyer to help a client, Explore St. Louis, in an interim capacity as its chief executive, Wallace willingly embraced a sabbatical from lawyering to pitch in. Wallace knew full well that the opportunity would only enhance his capability as a lawyer.
To learn more, we reached out for the following interview.
Question: What is your current status between Thompson Coburn and Explore St. Louis?
Answer: I returned to the law firm, Thompson Coburn, in the middle of March, and resumed my position as Chair of the Sports Law group, and serving as Explore’s lawyer, in addition of working with other clients.
Q: Why did you take the Explore St. Louis opportunity?
A: Explore is a long-term client, and when there was change in leadership, the Executive Committee of the Board asked me would I be willing to take on the challenge of Interim President as they conducted a nationwide search for new leadership. There was no expectation that I would be that person, but I had a lot of knowledge about the issues confronting Explore and knew many members of the staff. I viewed it as an exciting challenge and one that would help the St. Louis region.
Q: What was the most challenging aspect of the position?
A: The Board asked me to address two areas. One, we were in the midst of expanding the Convention Center, and because of delays in finalizing the finances for that expansion, the costs were greater than originally contemplated. This caused changes in the original concept, and we pushed to finish up the first stage of the expansion and worked to decide what we could do with the remaining dollars that would make the project a success. The second area was to work on the culture of the organization by improving communication among the staff, removing unnecessary silos, and giving department heads autonomy to lead their departments. Also, I was charged with improving relationships with outside civic and business constituencies to become more collaborative with the various groups and organizations. I think we accomplished these goals,
Q: What was the most rewarding?
A: he comments from staff as I was stepping down and the new President was coming in. They thanked me for the leadership and allowing them to flourish. I got some kind and wonderful good-bye emails, which made me feel that the seven months tenure moved the organization in the right direction and was a success. The new President has thanked me publicly and privately for leaving him a strong organization. It was what I wanted to do.
Q: How did the experience make you a better sports lawyer?
A: For most of my career I had served as both a lawyer and team executive so often had two hats on. In the role with Explore, I did not act as a lawyer, but as the top decision-maker, and this responsibility provided me with another perspective in looking at issues, problems, and solutions. As a businessperson and lawyer, I think you need to look at problems from different perspectives and understanding what the other party wants and needs, especially with those you are negotiating with or about to enter into a deal. I joked with staff that as the lawyer all I could do was advise the client and now being the client I had the responsibility of living with my decision. I enjoyed the experience, and it gave me additional tools I could use in whatever role I was operating in.
