Charlene Barshefsky (born August 11, 1950) is an American lawyer. She served as
United States Trade Representative
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government responsible for developing and promoting Foreign trade of the United States, United States ...
from 1997 to 2001. She was the Deputy U.S. Trade Representative from 1993 to 1997. She is a partner at the
law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...
of
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.
She is also an advisor at
Moelis & Company and a participant of the Task Force on U.S.-China Policy convened by the
Asia Society
The Asia Society is a 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States (Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle) and around the world (Hong Ko ...
's Center on US-China Relations.
Early life, education, and career
Barshefsky was raised in a
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
family on the North Side of
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, the daughter of
Polish immigrant parents: Getzel "Gustave" Barshefsky, a chemical engineer from
Rajgród (1912–1995), and Miriam Rosen (1912–2011), a substitute teacher from
Łomża
Łomża () is a city in north-eastern Poland, approximately to the north-east of Warsaw and west of Białystok. It is situated alongside the Narew river as part of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the capital of Łomża County and has been the se ...
.
[Jewish Woman's Archive: "Charlene Barshefsky" by Robert D. Johnson]
retrieved November 19, 2012 Her father's family surname had been Barszczewski (feminine Barszczewska) in Polish. She has an elder brother, Alvin Barshefsky, and an elder sister, Annette Weinshank.
In 1968, Barshefsky graduated from
Von Steuben High School.
In 1972, Barshefsky graduated from the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...
with a bachelor's degree, double majoring in English and political science. In 1975, she earned her
J.D. from the
Columbus School of Law of
The Catholic University of America.
Barshefsky was nominated by former President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
to serve as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative along with
Rufus Yerxa and
Richard W. Fisher. In 1999 she was the primary negotiator with
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
's
Zhu Rongji, laying out the terms for
China's eventual entry into the
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that g ...
in December 2001. Her negotiations have been analyzed in
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...
case studies.
Legal practice
As of June 2012, Barshefsky is a senior international partner at WilmerHale. Her legal practice focuses on international business transactions, commercial agreements, and regulatory impediments to exporting and investment. Specifically, her expertise lies in "crafting market penetration strategies for goods, services, and investment and devising practical solutions to market access barriers". Her clients include
Fortune 100 and other
multinational companies that services like trade litigation, dispute resolution, and government relations strategies. She also advises foreign corporations on commercial and regulatory issues in the United States.
Barshefsky has written and lectured extensively on both U.S. and foreign trade laws and
public procurement
Government procurement or public procurement is the purchase of goods, works (construction) or services by the state, such as by a government agency or a state-owned enterprise. In 2019, public procurement accounted for approximately 12% of GDP ...
regimes. She was a partner at the law firm of
Steptoe & Johnson. She previously served as vice chair of the International Law Section of the
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...
as well as a member of its governing council and chair of its Publications Committee.
Board memberships
Outside of her legal practice, Barshefsky participates in several professional organizations. She is the chair of the
National Committee on US-China Relations' board of directors, a board member of the America-China Society, a fellow of the
Foreign Policy Association, and a member of the
American Academy of Diplomacy and the
Trilateral Commission. She also serves on the boards of
Intel
Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...
,
American Express
American Express Company or Amex is an American bank holding company and multinational financial services corporation that specializes in payment card industry, payment cards. It is headquartered at 200 Vesey Street, also known as American Expr ...
,
Estée Lauder Companies, and the
Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She is a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations.
She also sits on the advisory board for
America Abroad Media.
Personal life
Barshefsky lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband.
Honors and awards
* Named one of "The Decade's Most Influential Lawyers" (40 lawyers total) by ''The National Law Journal'' in the regulatory category.
* Included in ''
BusinessWeeks list of "Top Female Corporate Directors"
* Named one of "50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America" by ''The National Law Journal'' in 2007
* Lifetime Achievement Award from Chambers & Partners in 2007
* "Top Lawyers in Washington, D.C." in international trade by the ''Washingtonian''magazine for 2007, 2009, and 2011
* Outstanding Achievement award at the ''
Euromoney
''Euromoney'' is an English-language monthly magazine focused on business and finance. First published in 1969, it is the flagship production of Euromoney Institutional Investor plc.
History and profile
''Euromoney'' was first published in 19 ...
'' Legal Media Group's "America's Women in Business Law Awards"
References
External links
Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky's WilmerHale biographyUnited States to Resume Bilateral Investment Treaty Negotiations on the Basis of a Revised Model Treaty 15 May 2012, WilmerHale Publications
The Copenhagen Climate Change Agreement: Failure or Success? Next Steps and Key Considerations for Business 21 December 2009, WilmerHale Publications
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barshefsky, Charlene
1950 births
American people of Polish-Jewish descent
21st-century American businesswomen
20th-century American women lawyers
20th-century American lawyers
American lawyers
Clinton administration cabinet members
Columbus School of Law alumni
Jewish members of the Cabinet of the United States
Living people
United States trade representatives
University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr partners
Women members of the Cabinet of the United States
21st-century American women lawyers
21st-century American lawyers
20th-century American businesswomen
Jewish American women in politics
People from Chicago