Arent Fox Adds Top Public International Law Partner in DC
Arent Fox is pleased to announce the expansion of its International Trade & Investment practice in Washington, DC with the addition of public international law Partner David Tafuri, Senior Advisor Richard Griffiths, and Associate Jasmine Zaki.
Tafuri’s practice is rooted in vast experience working with clients overseas in frontier markets and in solving complex problems at the intersection of law, diplomacy, and policy. Tafuri has worked in some of the most challenging environments and enjoys representing the underdog in international disputes and taking on novel questions of public international law. He relies upon his previous positions with the US Government and the United Nations to find creative, multi-forum solutions for his clients. Before joining Arent Fox, Tafuri chaired the Emerging Democracies practice at Dentons, working with clients to strengthen democracies abroad.
As part of Tafuri’s team, Richard counsels, advises, and leads the international strategy efforts on behalf of foreign governments in regions across the globe. Jasmine advises clients on commercial matters, including regulation and compliance issues related to companies operating in the Middle East and Africa.
Tafuri’s Experience
Tafuri’s clients include public and private companies seeking to invest in the emerging markets of the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and Latin America, and US government contractors, NGOs, and intergovernmental organizations.
Tafuri led a legal team that supported the World Bank’s COVID-19 crisis response for sovereign governments in Latin America and Asia. The legal team worked with governments in emerging markets to provide strategic advice concerning the pandemic’s impact on public-private partnerships (PPPs) across a broad array of industry sectors. Tafuri headed up efforts by local lawyers in various countries to reform and restructure large transportation and infrastructure PPPs, while working closely with The World Bank, Ministries of Finance, and national PPP units.
Tafuri leads the legal effort to support security sector reform in a Middle East nation, including reforming legal and institutional structures and creating a national security council, counter-terrorism center, and disarmament programs.
Tafuri previously served as the US Department of State’s Rule of Law Coordinator for Iraq at the US Embassy in Baghdad during the height of the war in Iraq. In that position, he worked directly with the Chief Justice of Iraq and Iraqi ministries to help rebuild the legal system. He was awarded the Department of State’s Superior Honor Award for his work.
He also draws on his previous experience as an aide to the Senate Judiciary Committee and a staff aide to several Presidential and Congressional campaigns to augment his practice. For example, Tafuri was an outside foreign policy advisor to President Obama’s campaign in 2008.
Before entering private practice, Tafuri worked for the United Nations in Turkey. He has served on the board of directors of USA for UNHCR, which supports the UN Refugee Agency, and is the founder and current President of the US-Kurdistan Business Council.
A prolific thought-leader, Tafuri has written articles on foreign affairs issues in a variety of publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Politico, and The Hill, where he is currently a foreign policy contributor. Tafuri also frequently appears on CNN, Fox News, the BBC, and other news networks to discuss foreign policy topics.
