James D. Filpi 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. CLDP provides consultative services to assist political, regulatory, judicial and commercial leaders to augment their policies, laws and organizational structures in order to improve the legal environment for doing business around the globe. Mr. Filpi primarily works with governments in Middle East and Latin America.

Prior to joining CLDP, Mr. Filpi practiced law with the International Competition Group of the Washington, DC office of the law firm Goodwin Procter, LLP, where he advised foreign and domestic clients regarding commercial transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, federal administrative procedures, corporate restructurings, banking, and consumer protection. Prior to his legal career, Mr. Filpi managed research and development programs for the Washington, DC-based strategic research firm the Advisory Board Company and tracked commerce and trade legislation for a member of the United States Congress.

Mr. Filpi received his Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center, where he served as a student representative in the Center for Applied Legal Studies, representing refugees from Western Africa. Mr. Filpi was a staff member of the Georgetown International Environmental Law Review and spent a portion of his legal study focusing on transnational law at the University of Hong Kong. Mr. Filpi also holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Mr. Filpi is a member of the American Bar Association Section of International Law and is Senior Advisor to Middle East Committee and on the Steering Committee of the International Trade Committee. Mr. Filpi is also a member of the Maryland Bar Association Section of Business Law, the District of Columbia Bar Association Section of International Law, and the DC Hispanic Bar Association. Mr. Filpi is admitted to practice law in Maryland and the District of Columbia.   Mr. Filpi speaks French, Spanish, and Italian.

Mr. Filpi formerly served as member of the Board of the LD Access Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that promotes rights for the learning disabled and is the founder of the St. Anselm's Abbey School Alumni Association Charity Golf Tournament in Washington, DC.  Mr. Filpi is an active member of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal Catholic Church in Bethesda, MD, where he resides with his family.