#communityovereverything: Wayne Johnson
COVID-19 has had an impact on many people’s lives and businesses. Here at CityCentral, our goal is to focus on the well-being and concerns of our community. As part of our #CommunityOverEverything campaign, we strive to provide our community with advice on managing the current situation by giving a platform to those members who feel emboldened to lend their insight. Among those members is Wayne Johnson. We were lucky enough to sit down with Wayne and talk about his law practice and experience.
Wayne Johnson is an attorney and businessman. His law degree has taken him many places. From a downtown Dallas law firm to many other businesses and ventures. Wayne’s law experience includes a lot on the company side as well. He has knowledge and experience of dealing with business organizations management, governance formation, mergers acquisition, and equity counsel. Recently he has done a lot of individual wills, trusts, and probate for individual clients. Wayne’s law experience spans several decades, and has led him to many new connections and clients that have expanded his network. Wayne’s passion for his work and for his clients is evident throughout our conversation. Here are some highlights from our chat!
“I STARTED OUT LITIGATING IN THE COURT ROOM, BUSINESS LITIGATION”
Throughout Wayne’s extensive law career, he has worn many hats. Fresh out of law school, he began his career with a small downtown Dallas law firm. His knowledge of business law and contracts began there. Today, Wayne works with businesses to write a lot of different kinds of contracts. He says, “I litigated a lot of contracts and that’s where I learned a lot about contracts. Because if you don’t litigate one, and you have to convince a jury, ‘oh that’s what they meant when they wrote this down…’” Wayne’s experience in litigating contracts has taught him to be very vigilant when drafting agreements. Drafting contracts and helping people with startups is a big part of what Wayne does today.
“BE TENACIOUS, PERSEVERE IN WHAT YOU’RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH”
Pursing a career in law is no easy task. Throughout Wayne’s extensive career he has picked up a few pieces of advice. Wayne’s main piece of advice for those in business is to be tenacious and persevere. In regards to our current situation, Wayne says to keep informed! Being informed is the best way to be a productive member of society and to keep people around you safe. Even though most everyone is confined to their homes, Wayne says, “I’m still one of those that says, get to work as soon as you can.” In Wayne’s opinion, working hard on what you can in the midst of this crisis is one of the best ways to stay focused and get through it.
“YOU HAVE TO EXUDE SELF-CONFIDENCE, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR AGE AND WHAT YOU’RE FACING”
As a young person right out of law school, Wayne started practicing with a downtown Dallas law firm where he met a lot of great people that helped him with his career. During his career, he’s gathered great personal and professional advice. One piece of advice that stands out to him is from his mentor, a partner at the firm, from the first time they were going to the courthouse. According to Wayne, in law school you learn the rules of a trial, but you don’t learn how to conduct a trial. Going into conduct a trial for the first time is extremely nerve-wreaking. His mentor told him, “Wayne, you just have to walk in that courtroom like you own it.” That was invaluable advice for a young lawyer, that he even remembers to this day. Wayne has applied that advice to the rest of this professional life. Having self-confidence is the best way to make business connections and to be successful in all that you do. Self-confidence is a great asset to have in your repetoir.
We want to thank Wayne for taking the time to have a conversation with us!
