Visible Leadership: Barron Wallace

Describe your current practice.

I serve as counsel to public entities, private not-for-profit issuers and underwriters in the issuance of debt securities, as well as general counsel to various urban economic development entities, both public and private. I also am a member of Bracewell’s Management Committee.

When did you first know that you wanted to be a lawyer?

After about a year of pre-med courses.

What is your proudest professional moment?

Successfully closing a bond transaction to fund significant improvements to a blighted area of Houston.

What figure in African American history would you most like to meet?

I am not sure I would want to be limited to African American history because the diaspora of people of African descent is vast and varied. If I had to pick someone from African American history that I would most like to meet, it would be W.E.B. Du Bois, an extremely important intellectual whose ideas are still relevant today, and Harriet Tubman, because of the sheer audaciousness of what she did with the Underground Railroad.

Did anyone serve as an advocate for you at any point in your career? What difference did he or she make in your development as a leader?

Joe Dilg, managing partner of my prior firm. Joe allowed me to make mistakes but was always available for advice.