| Biography | Professional Experience Ms. Schmidt's practice focuses on international trade, business, advocacy and government relations. In her work with Manatt, and prior to that with the U.S. Diplomatic Service, she has developed effective strategies to address international opportunities and complex disputes, with experience as an advocate, negotiator and public speaker. Ms. Schmidt assists domestic and multinational companies with investment and trade issues before agencies of the U.S. government as well as other governments, with a focus on Latin America. In addition to developing and implementing strategies to navigate government approval and regulatory processes relative to cross-border business and investment, she often addresses matters involving the World Trade Organization, the North American Free Trade Agreement, bilateral trade and investment agreements, export controls and compliance, and immigration. On behalf of domestic and foreign clients, she has addressed the challenges of policy and compliance relative to international financial transactions and operations as well as the policy and practical issues connected with the regulation of international financial transactions by the various governments and multilateral organizations. For clients, she has devised strategies to address international disputes, to improve relations with U.S. and foreign government officials and to create new international business opportunities. She has made presentations on regulatory constraints, services sectors and emerging technologies to foreign government officials and private sector groups. Ms. Schmidt also works with domestic and international companies and organizations on U.S. advocacy with the U.S. Congress and Administration as well as others who influence policy. Her work extends to the representation of foreign business and exporter associations in Washington, the interests of foreign governments before the U.S. Congress, and organizations before State legislative committees. Ms. Schmidt also has worked with foreign governments on a range of policy and business issues in advocacy and awareness-building activities. Ms. Schmidt's engagement with Latin America stems from her time with the U.S. diplomatic service. While with the U.S. Foreign Service, she participated in multilateral and bilateral negotiations, managed the Department of State's intellectual property rights portfolio in Latin America and developed IP enforcement efforts with private sector and government entities world-wide, and served as an Economic Officer in Bogota, Colombia, where she was responsible for trade relations, fisheries, telecommunications, science & environment, civil aviation, and agricultural trade issues, and a Consular/Personnel officer in Mexico City, Mexico. While on detail to a leading telecommunications enterprise, she managed public affairs matters for the Andean region and Caribbean. Memberships & Activities Member, Women in International Trade; President, 2007-2008; Member of the Board, 2005-2009; Professional Development Co-Chair 2007-2009. Member, International Advisory Committee of Divine & Human: Women in Ancient Mexico & Peru, National Museum of Women in the Arts, 2005-2006. Panelist, NAFTA Chapter 19 Bi-national Roster. Member, Trade Policy Forum. Member, AAEI Trade Policy Committee. Admitted to practice in California, Illinois and the District of Columbia. Honors & Awards 2009/2010 WIIT Lifetime Achievement Award, June 2010. Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers, 2007. Publications "Gone Viral," Trade & Forfaiting Review, December 20, 2011 (co-author). "Creating a Public Affairs Function in Countries Without a Public Affairs Culture," Journal of Public Affairs, July 12, 2011 (co-author.) "China's Relationship with Latin America in Perspective," World Trade Magazine, April 18, 2010 (co-author). "Buy American: Domestic, International Policy Collide," Law360, September 25, 2009 (co-author). "Policy Perspectives: Globalization: The Real Competitive Threat. The distinction between international trade and globalization," World Trade Magazine, page 8, October 2008 (co-author). "Restrictions on Foreign Investments: What Do They Really Mean, If Anything?" Bloomberg Law Reports - Corporate Law, Vol.2, No.18, May 5, 2008. "What (Free) Trade Agreements Are Not," International Law News, American Bar Association, 36(2), Spring 2007. "Evaluating an International Business Risk: Criminalization of Civil Disputes," German American Trade, 17(9), November 2006. "The International Trade Lawyer: Facilitating Business and Commerce," Inside the Minds: The Laws Behind International Trade, a Detailed Look at Enforcement, Regulations, and Political Influences, Aspatore Books, 2006. "Regulatory Regimes for Good and Services - Differences That Matter," Global Economy Journal, June 2005. "Think It's a Breeze Moving Goods Between The U.S. and Mexico?," World Trade Magazine, January 2005. "The Business Coalition: Effective Input in Trade Agreements," Business Colombia, March-May 2004. Business Briefs, Business Colombia, quarterly column, 1993-1995. "Medical Records Outside the Hospital," The CaMeRA, Legal Column, 39:7, July 1990. "New California Peer Review Law," The CaMeRA, Legal Column, 39:2, February 1990. "Electronic Signatures," The CaMeRA, Legal Column, 38:12, December 1989. "Access to Records by Outside Discharge Planners," The CaMeRA, Legal Column, 38:10, October 1989. "Confidentiality of Employee Records," The CaMeRA, Legal Column, 38:5, May 1989. "Child, Dependent and Elder Abuse," The CaMeRA, Legal Column, 38:2, February 1989. Co-Author, "AMA-AHA Joint Task Force On Hospital-Medical Staff Relationships," 1985. "Tort Reform As A Remedy," 84:2 Michigan Medical Journal, February 1985. "Legal Aspects of Peer Review," 10:48 Connecticut Medicine, October 1984. "Consent for Autopsies," Journal of the American Medical Association 250:9, Sept. 2, 1983 (English); and 249:18, March 3, 1983 (Japanese). "Physician-Hospital Contracts," 1983. "Note, Health Maintenance Organizations and the McCarran-Ferguson Act," 7:4 Am. Journal of Law and Medicine, 1981. Speaking Engagements Speaker, "U.S. Sanctions Policy and The Foreign Narcotics Drug Kingpin Law," Seminar on Prevention of Money Laundering, Mexican Bankers Association, Mexico City, November 2000. Speaker, "U.S. Elections: Implications for Mexico and Beyond," Pacific Basin Economic Council, Mexico City, February 2000. Speaker, "The United States and The Free Trade Area of the Americas," Annual Meeting of International Industry Property Association, Santiago, Chile, October 1997. Speaker, "U.S. Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights," First Annual Anti-Piracy Conference, Anti-Piracy Committee, Lima, Peru, July 1997. |