Former Senior Advisor for International Economic Affairs and Senior Counselor to the Director of the National Economic Council at the White House.
Former Associate General Counsel in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
Former trial attorney, U.S. Department of Justice.
Chair of the regulatory practice steering committee and past leader of the international trade practice.

Hal Shapiro brings more than 25 years of experience at the center of government to help clients shape policy and comply with international trade treaties and other agreements. Through leadership roles at the National Economic Council and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, he gained valuable insights on different ways to affect treaty negotiation.

Hal is a sought-after commentator on high-profile international trade matters. He has served as assistant professor and deputy director of the Center for International and Comparative Law at the University of Baltimore School of Law, and as an adjunct faculty member at American University Washington College of Law and Columbia University School of Law.

Multinational corporations, U.S. trade associations and foreign governments look to Hal for advice on:

International business and policy issues involving aviation, chemicals, energy, military security and other industries.
Legislative, regulatory and policy formation.
International trade agreement negotiation and implementation.
Litigation of disputes before the World Trade Organization and other international dispute resolution bodies.
Import and export matters.
Customs matters.
Federal civil litigation.

Representative Work

Leading large teams on complex international arbitration and litigation in the International Court of Justice, the International Civil Aviation Organization and other fora.
Represented United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) in gaining congressional approval for the U.S.-U.A.E. Agreement to Peaceful Civilian Nuclear Energy Cooperation. The agreement, which enabled the U.A.E. to receive nuclear training, materials and equipment from the United States, is known as the nonproliferation gold standard for nuclear cooperation agreements.
Providing advocacy and policy advice to a multibillion-dollar corporation with operations and assets in the United States and China on interfacing with governments around the world.
Used a novel application of U.S. trade laws to convince the government of Argentina to pay moneys owed to a U.S. company for its work building a water treatment plant in Argentina. The investor/state claim resulted in a significant recovery for our client.
Representing a U.S. investor in negotiations for the right to drill for oil in the Republic of Georgia.

"Hal is brilliant and dedicated to providing great client support."

Chambers Global, 2022

Education
J.D., Columbia Law School, 1991
B.A., Columbia University, summa cum laude, 1988

Bar Admissions
Connecticut
District of Columbia
New York

Recognitions

Chambers Global and Chambers USA, leading international trade policy advisor, 2016 to 2021.
Who’s Who Legal, Trade & Customs, 2013-2014, 2017-2018.
The Hill, Top 10 international trade lobbyists in Washington, D.C.
The Legal 500 US, International trade: trade remedies and trade policy, 2023.
The Legal 500 US, recommended in Dispute Resolution-International Trade, 2016.

Affiliations and Public Service

Senior Advisor for International Affairs and Senior Advisor to the Director, National Economic Council, 2000.
Associate General Counsel, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, 1996 to 1998.
Trial Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, 1993 to 1996.

Speeches and Publications

Moderator, “The Governance of International Trade,” Society of International Economic Law, July 13, 2018.
“Self-Declaration in the Age of Fake News: How to Tell if an Essential Security Interest is Real,” Society of International Economic Law, July 13, 2018.
“International Trade Policy Update: A Look Past the Recent Elections to 2015, and Career Perspectives from the Field,” International
Trade & Investment Law Society Meeting, November 20, 2014.
“Private Sector Perspectives,” Global Business Dialogue Event on TPA, Time for Something New: A Review of Trade Promotion Authority and Consideration of the Questions, What Next?” December 18, 2012.