The Washington Foreign Law Society
is pleased to announce its upcoming
Annual 2022 Gala Dinner
honoring
The United States Trade Representative, Katherine Tai
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Beginning at 6:00 PM
Army and Navy Club (901 17th St NW, Washington, DC 20006)
This year, on the occasion of its 70th anniversary, the WFLS will honor U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai. Ambassador Tai will receive the Harry LeRoy Jones Award for her outstanding contribution to the restoration of multilateralism in United States’ trade policy, by leveraging long-standing partnerships with allied nations while also advancing shared international objectives, such as addressing inequalities, promoting labor and environmental standards, and fostering a more resilient and fair global economy.
The WFLS bestows the Harry LeRoy Jones Award annually upon an honoree who promotes the rule of law–and international law in particular–and has a profound and lasting impact on institutions dedicated to justice, international law, or scholarship. Past recipients of the award include U.S. Supreme Court Justices Stephen Breyer, Sandra Day O’Connor, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg; U.S. Senators George J. Mitchell and Richard Lugar; UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights John Ruggie; IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde; World Justice Project Founder William H. Neukom; former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker; former Judge Thomas Buergenthal of the International Court of Justice, and U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke.
Ambassador Tai will be introduced by Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, Ambassador of the European Union to the United States
Ambassador Katherine Tai was sworn in as the 19th United States Trade Representative on March 18, 2021. As a member of the President’s Cabinet, Ambassador Tai is the principal trade advisor, negotiator, and spokesperson on U.S. trade policy.
Prior to her unanimous Senate confirmation, Ambassador Tai spent most of her career in public service focusing on international economic diplomacy, monitoring, and enforcement. She previously served as Chief Trade Counsel and Trade Subcommittee Staff Director for the House Ways and Means Committee in the United States Congress. In this capacity, Ambassador Tai played a pivotal role in shaping U.S. trade law, negotiations strategies, and bilateral and multilateral agreements, including the recently re-negotiated United-States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Ambassador Tai is an experienced World Trade Organization (WTO) litigator. She previously developed and tried cases for the Office of the United States Trade Representative, eventually becoming the Chief Counsel for China Trade Enforcement. Before transitioning to federal service, she practiced law in the private sector, clerked for district judges, and taught English in Guangzhou, China.
Ambassador Tai earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Yale University and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.
Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis is the Ambassador of the European Union to the United States, as of March 1, 2019. Previously, he served as the European Union Special Representative for Human Rights, Foreign Affairs Minister of Greece, and twice elected Member of the European Parliament.
He has received recognitions for his work on human rights and privacy, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center’s “Champion of Freedom Award” in 2020 and the Boston Global Forum’s “World Leader in Artificial Intelligence Award” in 2021. He is a member of the President’s Council on International Activities at Yale University and a former president of the DC Bar Association’s Human Rights Committee.
Ambassador Lambrinidis received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and political science from Amherst College and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.
Individual tickets for the 2022 WFLS Gala are available at the following prices:
General Admission: $175
WFLS Member Admission: $150
Student Admission: $120 (must show current student ID upon entrance to the Gala dinner)
Student WFLS Member Admission: $100 (must show current student ID upon entrance to the Gala dinner)
The WFLS greatly appreciates the financial support of its members, individual supporters, and Sponsors. Sponsorships for the WFLS Gala are available at one of the following donor levels: Platinum ($10,000), Gold ($5,000), or Silver ($2,500). Sponsors and their levels will be recognized at the Gala and in announcements, publicized in the program and the WFLS website, and given a table at the Gala.
Corporations, law firms, universities, and others interested in becoming a Gala sponsor should direct any questions to the two co-chairs of the Gala, Alexandra Bochnakova at (202) 630-7596, avocat.bochnakova@gmail.com; and Kimberly Larkin at (404) 909-5265, kimberly.h.larkin@gmail.com.
Revenue from the annual Gala helps the WFLS increase its capacity to pursue its mission of promoting discussion of and scholarship on international law and comparative legal issues through its monthly programming, at which speakers from the U.S. Government, international institutions, foreign countries, and private practice address topics of current interest in the international arena.
Please save the date and plan to join us for this very special event in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, September 28, 2022.
Registrations for this event are now closed. Please submit any inquiries to: washingtonforeignlawsociety@gmail.com
The Washington Foreign Law Society wishes to thank the following organizations and individuals who have thus far committed to be sponsors at the Gala
Silver level
Debra and Michael Decker
Other Annual Sponsors
