Robert C. Walters

Rob Walters is special advisor to the president at SMU, providing counsel to President Jay Hartzell on strategic initiatives and institutional priorities.

Walters is a retired senior partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he built a nationally recognized practice in litigation, antitrust and competition law, and crisis management. He previously served as managing partner of the firm’s Texas practice and as a member of its worldwide executive committee. From 2008 to 2012, he served as executive vice president and general counsel of Energy Future Holdings, one of the nation’s largest electric generation, transmission and retail companies.

Over the course of his career, Walters has served as lead trial counsel in many of the country’s most significant antitrust and commercial disputes, while also advising corporate boards and executive leadership on high-stakes litigation, investigations and strategic matters.

Beyond his legal career, Walters has held numerous civic and nonprofit leadership positions, including with the Communities Foundation of Texas, the Dallas Citizens Council, The University of Texas Law School, and the Dallas Police and Fire Pension Fund. He also serves on the board of Vistra Corp., one of the nation’s largest power companies.  He has served as an adjunct professor at both SMU Dedman School of Law and The University of Texas School of Law.

Walters earned a Bachelor of Arts (Plan II interdisciplinary honors), summa cum laude, and a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from The University of Texas at Austin.