Variety the Children's Charity of St. Louis

Walter Metcalfe does not divide life into segments. He doesn’t designate “work time” and “play time,” because it all happens at once. Metcalfe believes all of his interests and commitments are dependent on one another – it’s all one, and he simply needs to find the balance. Those interests and commitments have definitely kept the senior counsel of Bryan Cave LLP on his toes throughout his adulthood, and Metcalfe enjoys his well-rounded life.

From the time that he was 7 years old and working as a messenger in his father’s law office in the summer, Metcalfe thought he, too, would be a lawyer. He said the choice was entirely his own – nobody pushed him down that career path – but he never had thoughts of becoming anything else. Those dreams became a reality when he graduated from the University of Virginia with a J.D. degree, after obtaining an A.B. degree from Washington University in St. Louis. He started practicing law in 1964, and for the past 25 years has used his education and experience to help build the world-class international law firm of Bryan Cave. The firm’s headquarters are located at 211 North Broadway in downtown St. Louis, coincidentally on the very corner where he worked at his father’s office when he was a young boy.

For 10 years, ending in September 2004, he was chief executive officer of Bryan Cave, which numbered approximately 800 lawyers located in offices in the United States, London, the Middle East and China. During Metcalfe’s tenure, the firm more than doubled in size and tripled in revenue. Today, Bryan Cave ranks among the 35 largest law firms in the world.

It is no surprise that Metcalfe has been listed annually as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” for 25 years. The National Law Journal has also recognized him as one of the “100 Most Influential Lawyers in America,” a list published every five years, in 1996, 2001 and 2006. In 2007, he was named the Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly Lawyer of the Year and a “Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyer.”

Metcalfe has represented top businesses, professional sports teams, and renowned educational and cultural institutions. However, the success of his community right here at home is the driving force in his life. Many institutions dedicated to making the region a better place have invited him to share his experience and talents on their boards: BJC HealthCare, the Danforth Foundation, the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University in St. Louis. He is also an ex-officio member of the board of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and the Secretary of Civic Progress, and he served as a member and chairman of the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis from 2000 to 2006.

Metcalfe’s three latest civic projects involve the Gateway Arch grounds and riverfront, the Inaugural Tour of Missouri professional cycling race, and the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) in St. Louis. He has worked with civic leaders to determine how best to transform the riverfront and Arch grounds into a world-class destination for the people of our region and visitors to St. Louis, linking the area to downtown over I-70 and optimizing the impact and use of the iconic Arch.

Metcalfe’s family has been very supportive of his business and community accomplishments. He and his wife, Cynthia Williamson Metcalfe, have two grown children, Carol Lind of Chicago and Ted Metcalfe of New York, and two grandchildren. He and Cynthia both have a great appreciation for the outdoors. In fact, Cynthia was a member of the Missouri Conservation Commission for six years. They own a farm in Warren County that is located on the Missouri River and the Katy Trail. He enjoys simple activities such as clearing brush, mowing fields and walking dogs, and they have found that area to be a perfect place to bike.

Metcalfe’s commitment to cycling began in 1990, when he was looking for a way to keep fit and to see more of the region and the world. He and Cynthia ride in Forest Park, through downtown St. Louis, and in Warren, St. Charles and Montgomery counties. They have also cycled in Chile, Argentina and Costa Rica, and one spectacular experience for Metcalfe was riding two stages of the 92nd Tour de France in 2005 with his son, daughter-in-law and son-in-law. The two-stage package was a gift from his partners on his 10th anniversary as chairman of Bryan Cave. Metcalfe, with his competitive spirit, sets goals for himself that he believes may be out of reach. However, after telling others what he plans to do, he knows he must follow through. He always looks forward to his next challenge.

Metcalfe measures the quality of a community not by its population, but by its civic opportunities, as well as its social, recreational and cultural assets – and he believes few regions compare with St. Louis. He enjoys the city’s offerings of major league sports franchises, excellent cultural institutions and venues, top educational and healthcare organizations, and parks and trails – and everything is convenient and accessible, just 20-30 minutes away at any given time. It’s obvious that Metcalfe takes pride in his city, and in his role in helping to make St. Louis an even better place to live.

A few examples of Metcalfe’s civic accomplishments include:

1)    Representing the Missouri Botanical Garden, Monsanto Company, Purdue University, the University of Illinois, the University of Missouri - Columbia and Washington University in the organization, funding, development and construction of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.
2)    Representing the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts in acquiring land (imploding Beaumont Building), funding, development and construction of the new Foundation space in Grand Center.
3)    Representing the St. Louis NFL group in the establishment of legislation and financing for the construction of the 66,000-seat Edward Jones Dome expansion of the St. Louis Convention Center, which houses the St. Louis Rams NFL football team.
4)    Representing James B. Orthwein in the purchase, operation and subsequent sale of the New England Patriots NFL football team to Robert Kraft.
5)    Acting as lead lawyer in the organization of Kiel Center Partners, L.P.; the negotiation of the financing and construction of the Scottrade Center arena, which houses the St. Louis Blues NHL hockey team; acquisitions of the St. Louis Blues; and the subsequent sales of the Blues and Center.
6)    Helping to organize Grand Center, developer of the arts and entertainment district.
7)    Organizing the Health & Educational Facilities Authority of the State of Missouri, an agency that has issued in excess of $10 billion in bonds to finance the development of colleges, universities and hospitals in Missouri.