BOSTON – July 17, 2024 – Robert A. Sherman, senior counsel at global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP and former U.S. ambassador to Portugal, was selected as a Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly 2024 Hall of Fame honoree. The Hall of Fame recognizes top Massachusetts lawyers who have been practicing for 30 or more years and who have made significant contributions to the development of the law and bar while improving the quality of justice in the commonwealth. Sherman and fellow honorees will be honored at an annual awards ceremony at the Venezia Restaurant Boston, Sept. 17.
“We congratulate Bob Sherman on this prestigious and well-deserved honor,” Greenberg Traurig Boston office Co-Managing Shareholders David J. Dykeman and Terence P. McCourt said in a joint statement. “Bob is a leader, lifelong trailblazer, and tireless advocate whose impressive legal career as an attorney and as U.S. ambassador to Portugal is rooted in his belief that giving back is critical to affecting meaningful change and leaving a lasting impression. We are proud to have Bob as a role model in the Boston office, and we thank him for his remarkable service.”
During the course of his 40+ year career, Sherman has held both public and private sector roles, and has focused on improving access to and the quality of justice in Massachusetts and beyond. His accomplishments are both wide-ranging and long-lasting both locally and globally.
Sherman is a founding member and former co-managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurig’s Boston office. He has wide-ranging trial and regulatory experience in the areas of government investigations and litigation, internal corporate investigations - with an emphasis on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance - as well as consumer protection matters. Sherman has also represented clients in complex, high profile cases including those that have generated significant media attention. He served as co-lead counsel for hundreds of victims in the Boston Archdiocese clergy abuse scandal, which was the subject of the Academy Award-winning movie Spotlight.
Sherman served as the U.S. ambassador to Portugal from 2014–2017, having been nominated by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate. As ambassador, he focused heavily on bilateral economic development and international security issues, such as cybersecurity, refugees, narcoterrorism, and NATO. In recognition of his work in the country, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa decorated him with the country’s highest civilian award, the Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator.
In 2017, Sherman was appointed as an independent board member of a major international bank, whose majority shareholder is an American private equity firm. Sherman serves as chair of the compliance committee focusing on EU bank regulatory requirements and anti-money laundering rules. In addition, he holds appointments as a distinguished visiting professor at universities on both sides of the Atlantic.
In 2022 and 2023, Sherman was actively involved in Maura Healey’s campaign for governor of Massachusetts, serving on her personally selected campaign steering committee. He also was an advisor to Andrea Campbell on her successful campaign for Massachusetts attorney general. He served on both her campaign steering committee and post-election transition team.
From 1991–1993, Sherman was the assistant attorney general of Massachusetts and chief of the state’s consumer protection division. There, he led the 45-person division which enforces the broad spectrum of laws protecting consumers.
Sherman received a Lifetime Achievement award from Law.com. He also is regularly recognized for his legal contributions by the top peer-ranked legal honors in the world, including Best Lawyers in America, Who’s Who in American Law, Super Lawyers of Massachusetts, and New England Super Lawyers.
About Greenberg Traurig’s Boston Office: Celebrating 25 years of legal excellence, Greenberg Traurig’s Boston office is home to more than 90 attorneys practicing in the areas of banking and finance, corporate, emerging technology, energy, environmental, gaming, governmental affairs, intellectual property, labor and employment, life sciences and medical technology, litigation, public finance, real estate, restructuring and bankruptcy, tax, and white collar defense and investigations. An important contributor to the firm’s international platform, the Boston office includes a team of nationally recognized attorneys with both public and private sector experience. Working collaboratively with the firm’s global network, the Boston team collectively offers clients decades of experience advising on complex legal matters and providing hands-on knowledge of the local business community.
About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP has more than 2750 attorneys in 47 locations in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The firm is a 2022 BTI “Highly Recommended Law Firm” for superior client service and is consistently among the top firms on the Am Law Global 100 and NLJ 500. Greenberg Traurig is Mansfield Rule 6.0 Certified Plus by The Diversity Lab. The firm is recognized for powering its U.S. offices with 100% renewable energy as certified by the Center for Resource Solutions Green-e® Energy program and is a member of the U.S. EPA’s Green Power Partnership Program. The firm is known for its philanthropic giving, innovation, diversity, and pro bono. Web: www.gtlaw.com.