Gare A. Smith

Gare A. Smith "chairs the corporate social responsibility and risk management practice at the law firm Foley Hoag, in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining Foley Hoag, he was Vice President of Levi Strauss & Co. Mr. Smith has also served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor and was a U.S. representative to the U.N. Human Rights Commission, the International Labor Organization, and the U.N. Working Group on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the University of Michigan Law School, he has authored three books on international human rights standards."

Experience

• "Developed the firm’s corporate social responsibility and risk management practice to help clients adopt strategic policies to address the challenges of globalization
• "Advises corporations and nations on legal, political, and economic aspects of globalization and crisis management, including developing codes of conduct, compliance programs, and monitoring systems; designing international trade and investment strategies; and creating partnerships with governments, international organizations, and stakeholders
• "Aids a wide variety of clients, including manufacturers, retailers, and members of the extractive industries, in integrating respect for internationally recognized human/worker rights and environmental standards into their management practices and in addressing business risks in a manner that safeguards their reputations and brands
• "Provides country-specific analyses of the risks and issues associated with human rights and labor conditions, environmental stewardship, community relations, asset security, indigenous rights, political stability, and rule of law and offers benchmarking and implementation procedures based on best practices worldwide
• "Helps clients address crisis situations worldwide, including boycotts, divestment campaigns, and conflicts with local communities
• "Assists clients in interfacing and problem–solving with U.S. and foreign governments, the media, unions, and non–governmental organizations
• "Previously served as Vice President of Levi Strauss & Co., with responsibility for global implementation of Levi’s code of conduct and government relations
• "Appointed by the White House to serve as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor: in this role helped launch President Clinton’s Model Business Principles; advised the Apparel Industry Partnership in creating a code of conduct and independent monitoring system; and was U.S. representative to the International Labor Organization, the U.N. Human Rights Commission, and the U.N. Working Group on Indigenous Peoples
• "Served as Senior Foreign Policy Advisor and Counsel to Senator Edward M. Kennedy: advised the senator on trade, human rights, and national security issues and created the first voluntary code of conduct for U.S. multinationals
• "Clerk for the Honorable Kenneth K. Hall, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit

Professional Involvement

• Board of Directors: The International Campaign for Tibet
• Board of Advisors: The University of Michigan Law School, Center for International and Comparative Law; The Global Works Foundation
• Board of Trustees: The Institute for Asian Democracy
• Member: The Fund for Peace, Human Rights and Business Roundtable
• Corporate Social Responsibility Advisory Board, Barrick Gold