Careers in Washington, D.C. with Robert LaRussa '76

Mr. LaRussa is a Washington D.C.-based international trade and national security attorney who worked for two decades at the global law firm Shearman & Sterling and now runs his own law and consulting business. He currently teaches an undergraduate seminar for the UMass History Department and a graduate class for the UMass School of Public Policy, both of which focus on international trade and national security policy-making in Washington.

Prior to practicing at Shearman, Mr. LaRussa spent eight years in the Clinton Administration as an international trade official, including as Commerce Undersecretary for International Trade, one of the country’s highest-ranking international trade positions. He held two earlier positions in the Clinton Administration, as Assistant Secretary of Commerce in charge of administering US trade laws, and as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the US Government’s global export promotion network. Prior to that, he was an international trade counsel in the US House of Representatives.

He is an attorney and former journalist and a UMass graduate of the History Department. He received his JD from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School. Over the course of his career, he has negotiated numerous international trade agreements for the United States and for private parties. He worked on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as a Commerce Department official, the Uruguay Round of international trade talks as a congressional attorney and negotiated trade and antidumping agreements with Russia, Ukraine, Mexico, China, and Brazil, among others. He also represents companies in export control matters and U.S. national security reviews of foreign investments.

Free pizza provided!

Sponsored by the UMass History Undergraduate Internship & Careers Office. For more info, contact Yuri Gama at interns@umass.edu.