Richard Griffiths*

Senior Advisor
Richard is a Senior International Advisor in the firm’s Sovereign Advisory group.
Richard Griffiths Bio Picture

Richard counsels, advises, and leads the international strategy efforts on behalf of foreign governments in multiple regions of the world. Richard has significant experience providing Head of State advisory, crisis and reputational management, international lobby, and foreign policy advisory services to foreign national governments, including those of Antigua and Barbuda, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Libya, The State of  Qatar, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, Tanzania, Thailand, Madagascar, Uganda, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe.

Richard advises various Heads of State on political and multilateral agency election campaigns and is highly regarded for his strategic insight, track 2 diplomacy skills, and collaborative and inclusive international consensus building approach. He is an expert advisor to the United Nations, Advisory Board member of Concordia, and a special advisor to the president of Special Olympics, a leading organization for competitive athletes with intellectual disabilities and a global movement involving more than 169 countries and 5.3 million participants.

*Required disclosure: Richard is not a US attorney. 

Previous Work

Prior to joining ArentFox Schiff, Richard was a senior member of the Public Policy and Regulation practice and a principal member of the Sovereign Advisory group for a prominent international law firm.

Before this role, he was a senior international advisor at another law firm in Washington, DC, where he helped launch an international trade consulting practice. Before that, he served as an executive director of The American Chamber of Commerce in Libya.

Government advisory/advocacy activities:

  • Guatemala- Foreign direct investment, policy, and government affairs
  • El Salvador- International cooperation and foreign direct investment  
  • The Republic Colombia- International trade, branding, foreign policy, and export promotion (Asocolflores)
  • Kenya- International disputes (maritime dispute) and international affairs and relations
  • Thailand- Foreign direct investment, tourism, and trade
  • Somalia- Foreign policy, investment, and international organizations (Presidential advisor)
  • Libya- Expert post conflict governance, trade, and foreign policy expert
  • Rwanda- Foreign direct investment, economic matters, and trade
  • Ukraine- Export promotion, foreign policy, and international engagement (UkraineInvest)
  • Qatar- Foreign policy and international relations (International organizations)
  • Madagascar- Public international law, treaties, and arbitration
  • Haiti- Foreign policy and US focused outreach
  • Antigua and Barbuda- WTO and foreign policy (Prime Minister advisor)
  • St. Lucia- Treaty and diplomatic immunity (Prime Minister Advisor)
  • Zambia- Foreign policy and international relations (Presidential advisory)
  • Zimbabwe- Compliance, foreign policy, and US focused outreach
  • Solomon Islands- Foreign policy and foreign direct investment (CIP)
  • United Nations expert advisor (UNITAR)

Professional Activities

Richard is currently a visiting professor at London South Bank University’s Faculty of Law and Social Sciences, where he teaches courses on international development studies and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, an international treaty that serves as a framework for diplomatic relations among its 191 signatory states.

Richard also holds the following roles:

  • Board Advisor, Special Olympics International, 2016‒present
  • Programming Advisor, Concordia’s Good Governance & Democracy Pipeline, 2018‒present
  •  Advisor to the United Nations (UNITAR) on foreign policy, diplomatic law, and consular and diplomatic conventions

In the News

  • “Richard Griffiths joins Concordia as Programming Advisor on the Good Governance & Democracy Pipeline,” Concordia, September 10, 2018
  • “The man for all seasons,” Diplomatic Square, December 11, 2017
  • “Unesco: How Qatar took on the world…and nearly won,” The Peninsula, October 22, 2017
  • “David and Goliath: How Qatar took on the world…and nearly won,” Modern Diplomacy, October 21, 2017
  • “U.S. Chamber in Libya Implements Anti-Corruption Requirements,” The Wall Street Journal, August 6, 2013
  • “Building the Economy of Post-Qaddafi Libya,” Ventures Africa, May 2, 2013
  • “It’s all about transformation and stability: the Libya Summit kicks off on a high note,” Libya Herald, November 20, 2012

Life Beyond the Law

Richard is an avid traveler (135 countries and counting). He is married and has a daughter.

Perspectives