Reflecting his extensive and senior-level career experience with national security and foreign affairs, Daniel Feldman continues to help spearhead Foley Hoag’s unique corporate social responsibility (CSR) practice. In this role he advises major multinational corporations on best practices with regard to human rights, labor rights, and indigenous rights issues, as well as on stakeholder relations with local communities, host governments, and non-governmental organizations.
The range of Daniel’s clients that seek help with cutting-edge CSR concerns includes major companies and industry associations representing such activities as oil and gas production, mining, apparel and footwear manufacturing, and health care and clinical trials. These clients and many more receive informed, insightful guidance on development, implementation, and review of codes of conduct, human rights and labor conditions, environmental stewardship, trade policies and rule of law matters. Given Daniel’s prior experience in both the executive and legislative branches of government, he also increasingly advises clients on U.S. government strategy, particularly with regard to corporations' activities abroad, and any Congressional or State Department interest in those regions.
The overall focus of Daniel’s practice is to help clients adopt strategic policies to address the challenges and manage the opportunities of globalization. He concentrates on advising corporations, quasi-governmental organizations, and sovereign nations on risk management issues, utilizing a background in private sector legal practice, government service, crisis communications, media, and strategic consulting. His goal is to help clients interface effectively with the U.S. and foreign governments, the media, and non-governmental organizations.
Daniel has served as Director of Multilateral and Humanitarian Affairs at the National Security Council in the Clinton Administration, and as Counsel and Communications Adviser to the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, on the staff of Sen. Joseph Lieberman. In his White House post he advised the National Security Advisor and the President on issues related to war crimes and accountability, the United Nations, global democracy promotion, international public law, and economic sanctions policy, and orchestrated the negotiation and President Clinton’s signature of the International Criminal Court Treaty and the U.N. Optional Protocol on the Use of Child Soldiers (1999-2000). His responsibilities in Congress included advising Senator Lieberman and the Committee on national security issues, and organizing hearings and drafting legislation regarding homeland security, foreign policy, and environmental matters (2001-2002).
Daniel has been selected as a participant for a number of "next generation" programs identifying emerging foreign policy leaders, including those organized by the Asia Society (2007), the American Assembly's "Next Generation Project" (2007), the Rockefeller Brothers Fund's “U.S. in the World Task Force” (2006), the British American Project (2005), the German Marshall Fund's “Emerging Leaders Forum” (2003), the French-American Foundation's “Young Leaders Program” (2001, 2002), and the Salzburg Seminar's “International Human Rights” forum (2001). He formerly was also a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Daniel founded, and continues to lead, a number of groups devoted to identifying, promoting, and organizing the “next generation” of Democrats engaged in foreign policy issues, including “Next Generation Democrats” and the "National Security Network" (as a board member along with Rand Beers, Amb. Dick Holbrooke, and others). He has held high-level posts with Democratic Party leaders, including as Deputy Press Secretary for Senator Lieberman on the 2000 Gore-Lieberman campaign in Nashville, TN, and on the Gore-Lieberman legal recount team in Tallahassee, FL (2000), as Senior Foreign Policy and National Security Advisor to Senator John Kerry in the 2004 presidential campaign, and most recently as Chief Foreign Policy and National Security Advisor for the potential presidential, Senatorial or gubernatorial campaigns former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D-VA).
Apart from his public service before joining Foley Hoag, Daniel was associated with two prominent national law firms. His practice emphasized the development of infrastructure projects and privatizations, with particular focus on energy matters in Latin America and Asia, and on issues of international political risk insurance. He also worked in Africa and Asia on human rights and democratization issues. That activity included conducting research on political and economic transition issues in Hong Kong, in anticipation of its handover to Chinese control in 1997, and drafting legislation for members of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (1995-1996). Daniel worked in South Africa for the Constitutional Drafting Committee of the African National Congress (1991), and as a journalist covering labor and human rights issues for Business Day Newspaper (1990). In addition he has monitored elections in South Africa, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Before entering legal practice, Daniel served as a law clerk for the Honorable Cecil F. Poole on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (1994-95) and for the Honorable Albie Son the South African Supreme (Constitutional) Court (1996). He also received appointments as a White House Fellow and a Henry Luce Scholar.
Bars and Court Admissions
- California
- District of Columbia
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Representative Experience
The following is a brief summary of Daniel's experience and accomplishments:
- Drafting a "human rights training kit" for a major industry association of oil and gas companies (IPIECA), which will be used to train security providers of member corporations about security and human rights issues
- Consulting with technology companies that are facing criticism for privacy policies in their operations abroad
- Working to resolve conflicts between a copper exploration company and local community members in Latin America.
- Working with agribusiness companies as they deal with issues such as fair trade products.
- Assisting BP in monitoring and implementing its human rights and labor rights commitments on the BTC pipeline
- Providing pro bono counsel to John Ruggie, the United Nation's special representative on business and human rights, to assist him in his mandate of researching and providing guidance on current and emerging issues in CSR.
- Helping the Harvard School of Public Health design informed consent practices for drug trials in developing countries that will help lead the industry
- Advised major multinational corporations in the apparel and footwear manufacturing sector, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Polo Ralph Lauren, and H&M, as well as non-governmental organizations like the Fair Labor Association, on best practices with regard to international labor rights standards, including discriminatory practices, freedom of association and collective bargaining rights, and forced labor concerns.
professional / civic involvement
- The Council on Foreign Relations, Member (2000-present)
- International Human Rights Committee, Bar Association of San Francisco, Steering Committee Member (1997-1999)
- American Bar Association, Member
- Legal Services for Entrepreneurs, Co-Founder
- Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, Pro bono attorney
SPEECHES AND CONFERENCES
- Panelist, Does Corporate Social Responsibility Work?, Center for American Progress, February 9, 2007
- Participant, International Human Rights Symposium, Salzburg Seminars
- Media commentary on national security issues for Fox Cable News Channel
publications
- Sarah Altschuller and Daniel F. Feldman, The Bottom Line, DEMOCRACY: A JOURNAL OF IDEAS (Spring 2007)