Esha Kamboj, an attorney-advisor from the U.S. Department of Commerce, discusses her role advising policymakers in the Asia-Pacific region to develop legal frameworks that attract U.S. investments for infrastructure projects. Esha explains her background in international arbitration and how she now focuses on assisting foreign governments to amend laws and practices to make these regions conducive for U.S. investments.

She shares the importance of face-to-face diplomacy, cultural awareness, and her personal experiences transitioning from big law to the Department of Commerce. Esha also emphasizes the need for diversity in international law and offers advice for law students considering careers in this field. The episode concludes with insights into the intricacies of travel and maintaining work-life balance.

STORY

00:00 Mic Check

01:16 Guest Reveal

01:52 US Department of Commerce

04:41 Challenges and Partners

06:08 Private Sector Feedback

07:50 Arbitration Reform

08:53 Backlash and Treaty Basics

11:18 Origins and Global Curiosity

13:00 Family Travel Food Wins

14:24 Law School To Biglaw Shift

16:43 Commerce Life Work Balance

18:00 Diplomacy Needs Face Time

18:58 Culture Norms Trust Building

21:27 Cultural Diplomacy Skills

23:50 Surviving Jet Lag

24:04 Summer Associate Choices

25:18 Breaking Into Arbitration

26:25 First Gen Law Journey

28:24 What Big Law Means

29:18 Unwinding After Travel

30:42 Mentoring and Diversity

32:47 Commerce Career Paths

34:38 Asia Travel Favorites

36:55 Long Haul Flight Hacks

38:27 Wrap Up

BIOGRAPHY

Esha Kamboj is a Senior Attorney with the Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) in the Office of the General Counsel of the United States Department of Commerce. Ms. Kamboj assists policymakers and regulators in the Asia-Pacific region to develop transparent policy frameworks that attract high quality investments for complex infrastructure projects, including by promoting fair procurement practices and robust alternative dispute resolution policies.

Before joining CLDP, Ms. Kamboj was a Senior Associate in the international arbitration practice group at the law firm Norton Rose Fulbright in New York, New York and Washington, D.C., where she focused her legal practice on complex cross-border disputes including commercial and investor-state arbitration, arbitration-related litigation such as the enforcement of arbitration awards and agreements, and commercial litigation in both state and federal U.S. courts.

As a private practitioner, she represented foreign sovereigns and corporate clients across a diverse range of industries, including energy, infrastructure, insurance and reinsurance, banking and finance, securities, and pharmaceuticals.

Ms. Kamboj has also served as a lecturer on investor-state and commercial arbitration for Georgetown University Law Center and the International Law Institute in Washington, D.C. Ms. Kamboj received her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame and received her bachelor’s degrees, summa cum laude, in Global Studies and French from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is fluent in Hindi and proficient in French.

LINKS

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esha-kamboj/

Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), U.S. Department of Commerce: https://cldp.doc.gov/about-cldp