Clarence Wilbon says he wasn’t sure he would have made the choice that ultimately led to his legal career and current role as an Am Law 200 law firm leader without his best friend’s nudging when Wilbon was 18 and dealing with a health scare.

Now, three decades later, Wilbon is the first African-American chairman of Adams and Reese’s executive committee and a litigation partner in its Memphis office. He also might see his son follow in his professional footsteps.