Charles C. Adams Jr.

Last updated

Charles Adams
Charles Adams Jr.jpg
Official portrait, 2015
United States Ambassador to Finland
In office
December 8, 2015 –January 20, 2017

Charles Clarence Adams Jr. (born August 25, 1947) is the former United States Ambassador to Finland. [1]

Contents

Previously, he was an American international arbitration expert [2] and American political and social activist. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, he served as co-chair of Americans Abroad for Obama, a Democratic Party fundraising and networking organization of Americans living overseas. [3] [4] and raised money for Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg. [5]

He also served as a member of the National Finance Committee of the 2012 Barack Obama presidential campaign, a position he also held during the 2008 Obama campaign. [6]

He was nominated Ambassador to Finland by President Barack Obama in July 2014 and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 24, 2015. [7] He presented his credentials on December 8, 2015, and served until January 20, 2017. [8]

In 2017, Adams became a non-executive director at the Nordic West Office in Finland. [9]

Early life

Adams was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, [10] one of six children of Charles C. Adams, a career diplomat with the U.S. State Department, and the former Florence Schneider of Brooklyn, New York. He was raised in the countries of his father's assignments, including Canada, France, Germany, Ghana, Morocco and Senegal, as well as the Washington, D.C. area.

He attended Dartmouth College and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1968. From 1968 to 1970, he was a Peace Corps volunteer, serving in Kenya. [11] Following the Peace Corps, he attended law school at University of Virginia, receiving his J.D. degree in 1973.

Career

Adams began practicing international law in Washington, D.C., and moved to Paris before establishing residence in Geneva in 1986.

Currently, Adams is partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, an international law firm based in the United States. He leads the firm's international arbitration practice, with a focus on high-value disputes, and serves as head of the firm's Geneva office. His practice includes major infrastructure and construction projects, joint venture agreements, intellectual property, insurance, energy, manufacturing, telecommunications and transportation industries. [12]

He occasionally serves on international arbitration panels, and appears frequently on various news media outlets, commenting on U.S. political issues. [13] [14]

Notable publications include English Supreme Court Upholds Party Autonomy in International Arbitration, which examined a 2011 British high court decision which called into question tenets of impartiality when setting up international arbitration panels. [15] In 2012, Adams provided historical roots and context to current issues in an article titled The State of Arbitration, published by a leading international professional journal. [16] In an article published in early 2013, Adams makes a case that as costs rise, Switzerland is an ideal location to conduct international arbitration. "The domestic courts take a hands-off approach, and the non-intrusion...is certainly a benefit. There is also a well developed infrastructure in place and compared to other centers such as London or Paris it is perhaps surprisingly lower in cost," he said. [17]

In addition to English, he speaks French, German and Swahili.

Boards

He serves as Executive-in-Residence and on the board of advisers of the Taylor Institute, a research and post-graduate study center of Franklin University Switzerland. [18] [19]

He also serves on the board of advisers of End Human Trafficking Now, a human rights group. [20] He is a past president of the International Center for Humanitarian Reporting, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. [21]

He is a member of the board of trustees of the Dubai International Arbitration Centre, an initiative of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry. [22]

He is a frequent guest lecturer at the International Development Law Organization, the University of Geneva and other institutions of legal education. [23]

He serves as a Member of the Board of Advisors of the Global Panel Foundation, an NGO that works behind the scenes in crisis areas around the world. [24]

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References

  1. ↑ "Senate Confirms Six Ambassadors Including Two for Baltics". The Washington Post . 24 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "The State of Arbitration, Global Arbitration Review, March 13, 2012" (PDF). Retrieved 26 October 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. ↑ "CBS News, August 27, 2012". Cbsnews.com. 27 August 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  4. ↑ Mikelbank, Peter. "People Magazine, September 2, 2008". People.com. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  5. ↑ . Pete for America https://secure.peteforamerica.com/onlineactions/7_DS0OdxhEe3_T8PXQEBDQ2 . Retrieved 24 February 2020.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ↑ Heilprin, John (27 August 2012). "Washington Times, August 27, 2012". Washingtontimes.com. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  7. ↑ www.whitehouse.gov
  8. ↑ "Charles C. Adams Jr. (1947–)". Department of State.
  9. ↑ "TEAM OF TOP EXPERTS TO HELP NORDIC COMPANIES MAKE SENSE OF TRUMP AND BREXIT". / NORDIC WEST OFFICE. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  10. ↑ "Charles C Adams, Hogan & Hartson LLP". Lawyer Central. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  11. ↑ Della Casa, Henri (31 October 2008). "Geneva Tribune article". Geneva Tribune. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  12. ↑ "Dispute Resolution, Lawyer of the Year, 2012". Corporate LiveWire. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  13. ↑ "Democratic Rule". The Lawyer. 9 November 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  14. ↑ "Charles Adams on AGEFI TV/Swiss media". AGEFI. 31 October 2012. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  15. ↑ "English Supreme Court Upholds Party Autonomy in International Arbitration". AkinGump. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  16. ↑ "The State of Arbitration" (PDF). Global Arbitration Review. 13 March 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  17. ↑ "International Arbitration: Addressing the Concerns of the Business Community". Law.Com. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  18. ↑ "Taylor Institute board of advisors". Fc.edu. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  19. ↑ "Charles Adams, Executive-in-Residence". Fc.edu. 1 September 2012. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  20. ↑ "End Human Trafficking Now board of advisors". Endhumantraffickingnow.com. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  21. ↑ "Should Journalists Be Crusaders?". The Quill. 1 May 1997. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  22. ↑ "DIAC Board of Trustees". Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  23. ↑ "Akin Gump biography". AkinGump. Archived from the original on 29 July 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  24. ↑ "Board of Advisors". Global Panel. Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Finland
2015–2017		Succeeded by
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