A Conversation With Brian Wall ’11
A Conversation With Brian Wall ’11, Incoming Associate Dean for Student Affairs & Academic Support
What first brought you to William & Mary and what brings you back?
Of all the different law schools that I visited when I was a prospective student, William & Mary grabbed me right away as an institution that genuinely cared about the welfare of my classmates and me, and that impression was reinforced time and time again by the wonderful professors, administrators, and alumni that I was lucky enough to learn from and work with. There are a lot of reasons that I am ecstatic to come back to William & Mary, but being part of continuing to build and grow that supportive and collaborative community of learners and lawyers is the part I am most excited about, and I am looking forward to spending the rest of my career doing just that.
What got you interested in working with law students as a Dean of Student Affairs and Academic Support?
In many ways, I am just paying forward the counsel and kindness I have received from my own professors and administrators during my higher education. I have been lucky now to work for four incredible institutions in a few different roles, and no matter what my actual job title is, I am most professionally fulfilled when I am able to serve as a resource for a student who needs someone to talk with. Law school can be hard for everyone for any number of reasons, and my favorite part of what I do is being able to sit down with someone who is having a tough day or week – or a good day or week! – and either celebrate or vent with them, and then help them figure out what they need to keep moving forward.
What keeps you busy outside of work? Do you still keep up with your literary fields?
I do try to keep up with the literary side of things, and I’m looking forward to working with the awesome group of librarians and faculty members who teach the Law and Literature class every spring semester. Outside of that, I play the piano and am also now teaching my daughter to play; I enjoy justifying binge-watching great TV series by watching them while I exercise (right now I’m binging “The West Wing” for the third time, and I’m really looking forward to Season 3 of “Ted Lasso”), and I enjoy watching my beloved Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bulls, Vegas Golden Knights, and Queen’s Park Rangers whether they are good or bad (and they’ve sadly been mostly bad lately…but I’m ecstatic that the Eagles are in the Super Bowl!).
What do you look forward to when you get back to the East Coast and the ’Burg?
My wife and I have been telling our daughter about the Wythe Candy Shop and the Cheese Shop for a long time now, so those are at the top of the list!