Wallis was born in 1861, son of John Edward Wallis, of Alexandria, Egypt, formerly of London and the Inner Temple, Judge in the Mixed Tribunals (International Court of Justice), Cairo and sometime editor and proprietor of Catholic weekly The Tablet.
He was also nominated to the Madras Legislative Council and served as an ex-officio member from 1904 to 1906.
In 1907, Wallis was appointed judge of the Madras High Court and officiated as Chief Justice from July to October 1914.
In November 1914, his appointment as Chief Justice of the High Court was confirmed, and he served as such until 1921.
[9] In 1903, he married Dorothea Margaret, daughter of William Richardson Fowke.