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In Review

Robert Sherman 鈥�75 made his career as a Boston attorney for 35 years, serving in private practice and, in the 1990s, as assistant attorney general of Massachusetts and chief of the state Consumer Protection Division.

But now home is Lisbon, where Sherman is serving as the United States ambassador to the Republic of Portugal. He began his appointment in the spring.

There鈥檚 strong continuity, he says, between his legal and diplomatic work. 鈥淎s a lawyer, I was trained to solve problems by listening closely to the interests of the other party, advocating strongly the interests of my client, and seeking solutions that worked for both sides. That is precisely what the skill set of an ambassador is.鈥�

Sherman is the 25th U.S. ambassador to Portugal, though diplomatic relations between the countries reach back to 1791, when the first American resident minister was appointed. He describes his job as being a 鈥渮ealous advocate within Portugal of American interests both in the realm of business and also foreign policy.鈥� Embassy priorities, he says, include enhancing military, law enforcement, intelligence, and economic cooperation.

鈥淭he latter is particularly important as Portugal is now emerging from its economic crisis and there are opportunities to foster entrepreneurship and business growth, all with an eye toward increasing transatlantic trade and investment,鈥� he says.

A long-standing ally of the United States and a founding member of NATO, as well as a member of the European Union, Portugal has supported the U.S. in security operations in the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and joined the U.S. in condemning Russia鈥檚 involvement in Ukraine.

Sherman served on the national finance committee of Obama for America, and was appointed by President Obama to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council in 2013.

The president鈥檚 top trade priority, Sherman says, is the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which is designed to eliminate trade barriers and other obstacles to free trade between the United States and Europe. The treaty will bring particular benefits to small- and medium-sized enterprises, which describes 95 percent of Portugal鈥檚 businesses. Says Sherman, 鈥淧ortugal will play a key supporting role among EU countries.鈥�

A political science major at Rochester before going on to earn a law degree at Boston University in 1978, Sherman says he never lost his interest in politics and political institutions 鈥渁s engines for improving the lives of the citizenry鈥� and credits political science professors Riker, Fenno, Black, Niemi, and Regenstreif with continuing to influence his thinking today.

鈥淚 also believe that the U of R was critical in shaping my sense of ethics and notions of community responsibility,鈥� he says. 鈥擪athleen McGarvey锘�