Richard Wallis

Richard J. Wallis is Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for the Microsoft Devices Group at Microsoft Corporation, headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Rich leads the legal team supporting Microsoft’s hardware engineering, design, sourcing and manufacturing for Xbox, Surface, mobile phones, wearable devices and accessories. He previously led the legal team for the Interactive Entertainment Business from 2010 – 2013 where he was a member of the executive team that launched Xbox One and Kinect. Rich and his team also supported Microsoft’s first party game publishing studios, which includes the Halo and Forza franchises as well as games for PCs, tablets and phones. From 2007-2010, Rich led the Litigation Practice Group at Microsoft. Prior to leading the Litigation Practice Group, Rich managed antitrust and commercial litigation for the company. Rich was in private practice at the Seattle, Washington law firm of Bogle & Gates, PLLC, from 1979 to 1999. He specialized in antitrust and complex commercial litigation. He served as Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer from 1993 – 1999. Rich is a frequent speaker on a variety of antitrust, gaming industry and other legal and business topics. He served as Chair of the Antitrust Section of the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Washington, the Antitrust Section of the Washington State Bar and the Disciplinary Board of the Washington State Bar. Rich is an active participant with Friends of Youth, an organization devoted to helping young people in challenging circumstances get their lives back on track. He is also an active supporter of East King County Habitat for Humanity and Agros International, a group committed to breaking the cycle of poverty for rural families in Central America and Mexico through land ownership, community building and agricultural and economic training. Rich has also served on and assisted non-profit boards supporting national parks, hiking trails and public television.