For Random Profiles, we randomly pick one of our 93,000-plus attorneys and do a Q&A. We’ve found that every Texas lawyer has an interesting story. Will yours be next?

Mentor/hero: Morris Dees, founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center – an amazing man who has made many contributions to our country

The part of my job I do best is: training new generations of attorneys.

What most people don’t know about me: I was on the archery team in high school.

Family: Married for 31 years to Robert Brown, a former attorney and retired teacher. One fabulous dog, Jill, a retired greyhound racer (she’s the second retired racer we’ve had, and I highly recommend these wonderfully gentle creatures).

Areas of practice: I’m an Associate Vice President & Managing Legal Officer for The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. I oversee our General Business & Education Section, specializing in general business transactions, employment law, and academic law.

Latest pursuit: Cycling, clip-in pedals and all. I started this new sport about 6 months ago, and now I’m addicted. I ride somewhere between 50 and 80 miles a week, weather permitting.

Pet peeve: Rude people. There’s rarely a good excuse for rude behavior.

Secret for staying young: Have a wide variety of friends of different ages and from different walks of life.

Favorite TV program: The Closer…I really miss it!  But Elementary (a new show about a modern day Sherlock Holmes) is also pretty good.

Favorite artist: René Magritte

Favorite music/musicians: I enjoy many different kinds of music, but I’ll be a fan of the Rolling Stones forever. I also love the Eagles, Rod Stewart, and Stevie Nicks. I guess I have a case of arrested development, musically speaking.

Favorite movie: Lawrence of Arabia

The last movie I saw: Lincoln. Oh, MAN, what a great film. And Daniel Day Lewis was phenomenal.

Favorite food: Mexican, of course.

Generally likes to read: I love memoirs. Some of the best I’ve read are by Katherine Graham, Barbara Walters, Jeannette Walls (Glass Castle), and Cheryl Strayed (Wild).

Memorable vacation: A 5-day bicycle tour of the Chesapeake Bay area last October. My next bicycle tour is scheduled this summer in Colorado.

The biggest challenge facing attorneys today: Great attorneys are not always great managers. Understanding how people function in the workplace and being able to support them and motivate them to do well are highly valuable skills that should be introduced in law school.
 

Barbara is an Associate Vice President & Managing Legal Officer for The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

You can also view Barbara’s TexasBar.com profile.

Prizes
It’s not every day that you’re randomly picked from among 93,000 peers. To commemorate, randomly-profiled attorneys receive a TexasBar.com t-shirt.

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Opinions and statements expressed in these profiles are those of their subjects – not the State Bar of Texas.