31st United States Secretary of Commerce and United States Trade Representative (USTR)
Mickey Kantor is currently a partner at Mayer Brown, where he concentrates his practice on corporate and financial international transactions. He has extensive experience in market access issues, as well as the expansion of client activities in foreign markets through trade, direct investment, joint ventures, and strategic business alliances.
Prior to joining Mayer Brown, Mickey was the United States Secretary of Commerce (1996-1997) and the United States Trade Representative (1993-1996). He was the National Chair of the celebrated Clinton-Gore 1992 Campaign which was memorialized in the film The War Room (2003). He has been called “arguably the finest trade negotiator in the world” (Chambers Global 2006) and is said to be “blessed with fantastic political insights and connections” (Chambers USA 2007). He was recently recognized in The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers – Trade & Customs 2009. Among the many awards and honors he has received are the following: the Civic Medal of Honor by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the Order of the Southern Cross Award by The Government of Brazil, 2001, the William O. Douglas Award by the Constitutional Rights Foundation, the Thomas Jefferson Distinguished Public Service Medal from the Center for the Study of the Presidency, the Albert Schweitzer Leadership Award from the Hugh O’Brien Youth Foundation, and the Elihu Root Distinguished Lecturer, Council on Foreign Relations.
Mickey currently serves or has served as Chair of the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy (present); Vision to Learn, Board Member (present); U.S.-China Clean Tech Center, Honorable Advisory Committee Member (present); Board of Advisors of Drug Strategies (present); L.A. Commission of Economy and Jobs (present); Los Angeles Conservation Corps, Founder; Los Angeles Civic Alliance (present); Board of Directors for CB Richard Ellis (present); US Advisory Board, ING Americas (present); Member of the Chairman’s Advisory Group of the National Center for APEC (present); Council on Foreign Relations, Member (present); Board member of Pacific Council on Leadership and Policy (present); International Commercial Diplomacy Project, Trustee (present); International Advisory Board, Fleishman-Hillard; Board of Visitors for Georgetown University Law Center, Member (2012); Board of Councilors, Annenberg School of Communications, University of Southern California (2012); Christopher Commission, Member (1991); Center for Law in the Public Interest, Board Member (1989-1992); California Commission on Campaign Financing, Board Member (1990-1992); Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, Board Member (1988-1990); Clinton/Gore ’92 Campaign, National Chair (1991-1992); American Bar Association; Transitional Board of Directors, Member (1992); Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Board Member (1980-1990); American Bar Association Special Committee on Crime Prevention and Control (1971); Legal Services Corporation, Board Member (1978-1981); White House Conference on Children 6 (National Legal Aid and Defender Association); United States Naval Officer (1961-1965).
Mickey received his BA from Vanderbilt University and his JD from Georgetown University Law Center after four years of service as an officer in the United States Navy.
