WilmerHale Partner Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky was presented with a Lifetime Achievement award at the Chambers USA Awards for Excellence ceremony the evening of June 14 in New York. The award recognized Charlene for her success as a central figure for international business and international economic trade issues and for serving as a model of technical skill and personal integrity for the profession.
More than 500 people from the legal community honored Ambassador Barshefsky for her outstanding contributions to the legal profession at the annual event held by legal publisher Chambers & Partners. Fiona Boxall, Chambers & Partners managing editor, made the following remarks about Ambassador Barshefsky:
"The first recipient of our award for Outstanding Contribution to the Legal Profession tonight is a star of international trade. As the United States Trade Representative, our recipient was responsible for the negotiation of hundreds of complex market access, regulatory and investment agreements with virtually every major country in the world. She is internationally renowned as the architect and chief negotiator of China’s historic WTO Agreement and is considered one of the most influential women lawyers in America.”
It was also this month that Ambassador Barshefsky was also awarded by The National Law Journal as one of "The 50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America." She was noted for her achievement as “architect and chief negotiator of the deal that brought China into the World Trade Organization,” as well as her instrumental work in stabilizing US-Vietnam relations through trade. Ambassador Barshefsky is considered a “a legend in international business deals and trade agreement negotiations,” having negotiated trade and investment agreements across the globe in sectors as diverse as financial services, telecommunications, manufacturing and agriculture. Her legal career spans international litigation, commercial negotiations, and investment, market access and regulatory advice, as well as dispute resolution.