Thomas O'Keefe

Bio

Mr. O'keefe is the President of Mercosur Consulting Group, Ltd., a legal and economic consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. that assists companies with their strategic business planning for South America. The firm was founded in New York in 1993 and moved to Washington, D.C. in 1996.

With dual nationality from the United States and Chile , Mr. O'keefe is bilingual in English and Spanish, and fluent in French and Portuguese. Thomas O'keefe has obtained his bachelors degree from Columbia University.  He also has a J.D. from Villanova University School of Law. In 1986 he worked for the legal departments of the Chilean Human Rights Commission and the Vicaría de la Solidaridad (the human rights office of the Archdiocese of Santiago). Also worked as an associate for a number of years at the Wall Street law firm of Carter, Ledyard & Milburn and the Boston-based Gadsby & Hannah before returning to study at the University of Oxford, where he received a M.Phil. in Latin American Studies (History and Economics) in 1992. He has taught courses on Western Hemisphere economic integration at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and George Mason University in Arlington, VA..

Mr. Okeefe is the author of numerous articles on Latin American economic integration and have lectured extensively on the topic both in the United States and abroad. He has been a frequent guest on television programs on the subject as well.  He has also been invited to brief U.S. government officials and testify before the U.S. Congress on developments within MERCOSUR and the Free Trade Area of the Americas project. He is the former Managing Editor of Focus Americas, an analytical review of business and legal developments throughout the Western Hemisphere. Also a major contributing editor to FTAA Executive Briefing published by Orbis Publications, L.L.C. in 1998.

Academic Background

  • Oxford University , St. Antony’s College, Oxford, England
    Degree: M. Phil., Latin American Studies (History & Economics), July 1992

  • Vollanova University School of Law , Villanova, PA.
    Degree: J.D., May 1985

  • Columbia University, New York, N.Y.
    Degree: B.A., History, May 1982

  • Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel, 1979-1980

Areas of Expertise

  • Rules of Trade Law (i.e., customs valuation, dispute resolution, rules of origin, safeguard measures, and unfair trade practice remedies)

  • Foreign investment regimes

  • Liberalization of services sector, social/labor legislation

  • Laws protecting intellectual property and the environment in the Andean Community

  • Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), MERCOSUR, NAFTA, the Central American Integration System (SICA), and the W.T.O..

Present Position (s)

  • President, Mercosur Consulting Group Ltd.

  • U.S. A.I.D./RAPID Project: African Growth & Opportunity Act Technical Assistance

  • The George Washington University-Elliott School of Int’l Affairs
    Position: Adj. Professor, Contemporary Latin American Economic Integration & Political Development of the MERCOSUR Countries, Spring 1999-present.

Previous Position (s)

  • Managing Editor, Focus Americas, May 1995 to June 1996

  • Johns Hopkins University-School of Advanced Int’l Studies
    Position: Adj. Professor, Western Hemisphere Economic Integration, Spring 1999

  • American University
    Position: Adj. Professor, Colonial Latin America, Fall 1998

  • Carter, Ledyard & Milburn

  • Position: Litigation Associate, January 1989 to October 1990

  • Gadsby &Hannah

  • Position: Litigation Associate, February 1987 to December 1988

  • Vicaria de la Solidaridad, Legal Department.  April 1986 to September 1986.
    Investigations: “Comparative Study on Nationality Law: Models for Change
    in Present Chilean Law.”

  • Chilean Human Rights Commission, Legal Department
    June 1984 to August 1984; August 1986 to October 1986

Other Activities and Memberships

Recent Publications

Books

  • Latin American Trade Agreements (Irvington-on-Hudson, N.Y.: Transnational Publishers, Inc., 1997; 2001);

  • “El Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte y Su Probable Impacto en las Negociaciones Para Crear Una Área de Libre Comercio de las Americas”, in MERCOSUL, ALCA e Integracão Euro-Latinoamericano (Curitiba, PR.: Jurua Editora, 2001)

  • “Temas de Probable Conflicto Entre el MERCOSUR y el TLC de Norteamérica en las Negociaciones Para Crear Una Zona de Libre Comercio Hemisférica Hacia el Año 2005”, in El Mercosur en el Siglo XXI (Buenos Aires:
    Ediciones Ciudad Argentina, 1998)

  • “Los Probables Temas de Conflicto Entre MERCOSUR y los EE.UU. en las Negociaciones Para Crear Un A.L.C.A.”, in MERCOSUL No Cenário Internacional (Curitiba, PR.:Juruá Editora, 1998);

  • “Las Posibilidades de Incorporar el MERCOSUR al NAFTA Para Así Crear Una Zona de Libre Comercio Hemisférica Antes del Año 2005,” in El MERCOSUR en el Nuevo Orden Mundial (Buenos Aires: Editorial Ciudad Argentina, 1996)

  • “Problemas Que Dificultan El Proceso de Crear Una Zona de Libre Comercio Hemisférica Por el Año 2005 y Algunas Soluciones,” in A Integracão Rumo Ao Século XXI (Pelotas, R.G.: EDUCAT, 1996)

    Journal Articles

  • “The Impact of MERCOSUR on the Automobile Industry” 50 The North-South Agenda Papers, Sept. 2001;

  •  “The Central American Integration System (SICA) at the Dawn of a New Century: Will the Central American Isthmus Finally Be Able to Achieve Economic & Political Unity?” XIII FLA. J. INT’L..LAW 243 (Spring 2001);

  • “Recent Developments Affecting the MERCOSUR Economic Integration Project.” 42 Thunderbird Int’l Bus. Rev. 1 (Jan./Feb. 2000);

  • “The Evolution of Chilean Trade Policy in the Americas: From Lone Ranger to Team Player.” V Sw. J. of L. & Trade in the Americas 251 (Fall 1998);

  • “Potential Conflict Areas in Any Future Negotiations Between MERCOSUR & NAFTA to Create a Free Trade Area of the Americas.” 14 AZ J. of Int’l & Comparative Law 305 (1997);

  • “How the Andean Pact Transformed Itself Into a friend of Foreign Enterprise,” 30 The Int’l Lawyer 4 (Winter 1996); “The Prospects for MERCOSUR’s Inclusion Into the NAFTA,” 8 Int’l Law Practicum 1 (Spring 1995);

  • “An Analysis of the Mercosur Economic Integration Project from a Legal Perspective,” 28 The Int’l Lawyer 2 (Summer 1994);

  • “An Assessment of MERCOSUR’s Present Legal Framework and Institutions and How They Affect MERCOSUR’s Chances of Success,” 6 Int’l Law Practicum 2 (Autumn 1993);

  • “The Legal Framework and Institutions of MERCOSUR, the Newly Emerging Economic Bloc in South America’s Southern Cone,” 6 Inter-American Legal Materials 1 (1992);

  • The Use of the Military Justice System to Try Civilians in Chile,” 61 N.Y.S. Bar Journal 7 (Nov. 1989)

Other

  • Frequent Contributor to Brazil File, Business Latin America, Finance
    & Treasury, Latin American Law & Business Report, and
    LatinFinance.

  • Various Op-Ed Pieces in The Journal of Commerce,
    The New York Times, Poughkeepsie Journal, Wall Street Journal, The
    Washington Post and Westchester-Gannett Newspapers.

Current Research Projects

In 1999 Mr. O'Keefe prepared a report entitled Lessons From the MERCOSUR Experience that are Relevant for the Negotiations to Create a SADC Free Trade Area under a USAID/RCSA funded Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Trade Project. He also oversaw the preparation of a report under the same project analyzing the costs and benefits to Mozambique in ratifying the SADC Protocol on Trade.

Since January 2001 he has participated the U.S. AID/RAPID project as an African Growth & Opportunity Act (AGOA) Trade Specialist based in Gaborone, Botswana providing technical assistance to governments and private sector organizations on AGOA implementation issues. In that capacity Mr. O'Keefe has prepared a revealed comparative advantage study for AGOA-eligible SADC countries and contributed to reports by the SADC Trade Secretariat on the textile and clothing industries in southern Africa.

He is currently working on the second update to my book Latin American Trade Agreements.

Recommended Links

Red Mercosur
SICE-OAS
Areas of Interest

  • International Trade Law and Negotiations

  • International Human Rights Law, and Transportation Infrastructure Projects