☕ This week on Counsel Brew, we’re joined by Vicki Blanton, Assistant VP and Senior Legal Counsel of Tax and Benefits at AT&T, Adjunct Professor at SMU Dedman School of Law, and immediate past President of the Dallas Bar Association. Vicki’s career spans some of the most complex in-house environments in the country, touching approximately $150B in plan assets and impacting millions of employees, retirees, and beneficiaries worldwide. But what anchors this conversation isn’t the scale of the work; it’s how she thinks about responsibility, presence, and leadership over time. For Vicki, there isn’t a single summit to reach. Every day is a peak, and each one asks something different of you.

Over coffee, properly served, with intention, Vicki reflects on a formative childhood memory of sitting quietly with her grandparents in the early morning hours, listening as they talked and shared a cup together. That memory became her blueprint for connection. Coffee, like leadership, isn’t about speed or efficiency; it’s about attention, ritual, and making space.

As she reflects on her time leading the Dallas Bar, Vicki talks about stewardship rather than accomplishment: guiding a large and diverse legal community through reemergence, honoring tradition while allowing it to evolve. Her approach—old school in a new way—shaped programming that emphasized connection and belonging, including reimagining a long-standing gathering into a more conversational, welcoming space. Our conversation feels fitting for the close of a chapter.

And, of course, don’t miss out on hearing about Vicki’s longtime love of parades and her firsthand experience as a balloon handler in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. And yes—she’s a fellow Mustang!

👉 Listen now

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Explicit Rating is for the occasional use of colorful language.