Richard Vinroot Discusses Career and Leadership with Charlotte Business Journal

Robinson Bradshaw attorney and former Charlotte mayor Richard A. Vinroot was interviewed by the Charlotte Business Journal as part of the publication's N.C. Business Minds podcast series. The accompanying article excerpted several portions of the conversation, including Vinroot's lessons on leadership, his desire for community and public service, and how he's witnessed Charlotte change over the decades.

Vinroot shared in part the conversation he had with Robinson Bradshaw's late founding partner Russell M. Robinson II about how to balance a legal practice with a call to serve the community:

"But I do think that when you live in a community, or a state, in a free country like we are in, offering to serve in your community is something you ought to be doing. I remember one of my law partners, Russell Robinson, saying to me when I came to him (and said I wanted to run for public office).

Instead of saying, 'No, we need you here practicing law and billing hours' and all that, he said, 'You know, that’s great.' He said, 'We believe lawyers are the best possible people to resolve problems. That’s what we do for a living. We resolve disputes and we ought to be unselfish about that. And if we have somebody who has some talent doing that, he or she ought to get involved in our community.'

We live in the same place. We either suffer or succeed in this place as citizens. And it’s not all about earning money. It’s about living happily and successfully in a place to call home."

The Charlotte Business Journal article is available here.