There are few lawyers who become synonymous with an industry. Walter G. Moeling IV was the dean of the community banking bar in the South, and among a select few of the best banking lawyers in the U.S. Walt seemed equally comfortable in the boardroom of a small town bank as in the conference room of a Wall Street law firm. In small Southern towns, his accent would get thicker, and the pace of his speech would slow, but his advice would be clear and pragmatic. In negotiation sessions in New York or D.C. conference rooms, Walt would become quieter. He would let opposing counsel bluster and then turn their aggressive approach against them in a form of legal jiujitsu that the best of his generation of Atlanta lawyers were masters at.

Walt was a world-class storyteller. The combination of his rural Alabama upbringing, college and law school at Duke and a lifelong love of reading gave his stories a range and depth that few could match. Walt made a career of mixing legal advice and small town wisdom as he counseled bank boards of directors, CEOs and shareholder groups. Bank regulators also often sought his wise counsel. On many occasions, he calmed contentious situations in board or shareholder meetings with a story about a fishing adventure or how as a teenager he once spoke with Bear Bryant and Shug Jordan as they drank together at a bar on the shores of Lake Martin, Alabama. Walt was so good at telling a story that people would stop arguing with each other and listen to him. He would then get the meeting back on track with a creative suggestion or a deft change of topic.

James McAlpin of Powell Goldstein (Courtesy photo) James McAlpin of Powell Goldstein (Courtesy photo)

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