Gare Smith

Drawing on his extensive corporate and public policy experience, Gare Smith founded the firm’s corporate social responsibility and risk management practice to help clients adopt strategic policies to address the challenges of globalization. He advises corporations and nations on legal, political, and economic aspects of globalization and crisis management, including developing codes of conduct, compliance programs, and monitoring systems. He also provides guidance regarding the resolution of conflicts with governments, the media, unions, communities, and non-governmental organizations. Gare helps a wide variety of clients, including manufacturers, retailers, private equity companies, and members of the extractive, high technology, and health care industries to integrate respect for internationally recognized human/worker rights and environmental standards into their management practices. In so doing, he addresses business risks in a manner that safeguards clients’ reputations and brands. Gare conducts Human Rights Impact Assessments and country-specific due diligence regarding the risks associated with social and environmental issues. He provides counsel regarding the implementation of compliance procedures benchmarked on global best practices and programs to address labor conditions, environmental stewardship, community relations, asset security, indigenous rights, and the rule of law. He also helps clients to manage contentious global business issues, including boycotts, divestment campaigns, and conflicts with local communities. Gare previously served as Vice President of one of the world’s most recognized clothing brands, with responsibility for global implementation of the company’s code of conduct and government relations. In the public sector, he served as Senior Foreign Policy Advisor and Counsel to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, focusing on trade, human rights, and national security issues and creating the first voluntary code of conduct for U.S. multinationals. He was appointed by the White House to serve as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. His accomplishments in this role included helping to launch President Clinton’s Model Business Principles, advising the apparel industry regarding the creation of a code of conduct and independent monitoring system, and serving as a U.S. representative to the International Labor Organization, the U.N. Human Rights Commission, and the U.N. Working Group on Indigenous Peoples.