Masters of the Bench

James R. Silkenat is a Past President of the 400,000 member American Bar Association.  He is a partner in the New York office of Sullivan & Worcester LLP and helps coordinate the firm’s cross-order/international business practice.  His practice concentrates on the areas of M&A, project and infrastructure finance, banking and corporate law.  He is a former Legal Counsel at the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation.  He is the editor or author of 15 books and more than 100 articles on legal, business and justice system issues.  His books include:  The Law of International Insolvencies and Debt Restructurings; The Imperial Presidency and the Consequences of 9/11; and The ABA Guide to International Business Negotiations.  He is a former Chair of the ABA’s Section of International Law and received the Section’s Lifetime Achievement Award and its Louis B. Sohn ward for Public International Law.

He is also the recipient of the Diversity Champion Award of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.  He is a member of the American Law Institute and served as Chair of the Lawyers Committee for International Human Rights (now Human Rights First).  He is a member of the Board of Directors of the World Justice Project and is the recipient of the Business Law and Leadership Award from the Lawyers Alliance for New York.