King, Raymond V.

Ambassador Robert M. Kimmitt is a senior international counsel in the Regulatory and Government Affairs Department, and a member of the Defense, National Security and Government Contracts Practice Group. He originally joined the firm in 1997 and rejoined the firm in 2009 after serving as Deputy Secretary of the US Department of the Treasury.

Practice

Both in government and the private sector, Ambassador Kimmitt has held a wide variety of senior positions at the intersection of international business, finance, law and policy. From 2005-2009, he served as Deputy Secretary of the US Treasury, where he had significant responsibility for the Department’s international agenda, including cross-border investment in his leadership role on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

As a partner at the firm from 1997 to 2000, Ambassador Kimmitt focused on international transactions in regulated industries, primarily in the areas of defense, aerospace, telecommunications and banking.

Prior to joining the firm, he served as American Ambassador to Germany (1991-1993), Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (1989-1991), General Counsel to the Department of the Treasury (1985-1987), and Executive Secretary and General Counsel of the National Security Council (1983-1985).

In addition to his government service, Ambassador Kimmitt was Vice Chairman and President of Commerce One, a software company headquartered in the San Francisco Bay area. He also served as Executive Vice President for Global Public Policy (2001-2005) at Time Warner Inc.

Professional Activities

Ambassador Kimmitt is Chairman of the American Council on Germany and a board member of the Atlantic Council and the Arthur F. Burns Fellowship. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Academy of Diplomacy and the Trilateral Commission. During 1997, Ambassador Kimmitt was a member of the National Defense Panel, and from 1998 to 2005, he was a member of the Director of Central Intelligence’s National Security Advisory Panel. He also served as a member of the Panel of Arbitrators of the World Bank’s International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, and he has served on numerous corporate and non-profit boards, both at home and abroad.

Publications

Ambassador Kimmitt has authored many articles, including “Public Footprints in Private Markets,” a seminal look at Sovereign Wealth Funds that was published in the January-February 2008 issue of Foreign Affairs magazine.

Honors and Awards

For his service as American Ambassador to Germany, he was awarded Germany’s highest honor, the Bundesverdienstkreuz, as well as the US Defense Department’s Distinguished Public Service Award.

For his service during the Gulf Crisis and War, former President George H.W. Bush presented him with the Presidential Citizens Medal, the country’s second highest civilian award.

During his service as Deputy Secretary and General Counsel to the US Treasury Department, Ambassador Kimmitt twice received the department’s Alexander Hamilton Award, and he also received the Arthur Flemming Award for distinguished public service.

During his combat service with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam (1970-1971), he earned three Bronze Star Medals, the Purple Heart, the Air Medal and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He retired as a Major General in the Army Reserve.

In May 2009 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Marymount University, and in May 2010 he received the Distinguished Graduate Award from West Point.

Ambassador Kimmitt was recognized in 2012 edition of Best Lawyers in America for his Government Relations Practice.