George R. Salem

George R. Salem established his law practice in 2005, the same year he became a strategic advisor to DLA Piper in connection with the firm’s Middle East and U.S. Department of Labor practices. From 1990 to 2004, he was a partner at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP law firm.

During his career, Mr. Salem has negotiated settlements in landmark cases in labor law. He has headed legal teams in the Middle East negotiating significant acquisitions, including oil refineries. He successfully brought suit against the U.S. Department of Treasury on behalf of the owners of the Al-Shifa pharmaceutical plant in Sudan, which the U.S. Navy destroyed. From 1985 to 1989, Mr. Salem served as the solicitor of labor. He is a fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and a Council on Foreign Relations member.

Mr. Salem co-founded the Arab American Institute in 1985 and is currently chairman. He is a past treasurer of the United Palestinian Appeal, Inc. and president of the National Association of Arab Americans. He has also served on the board of directors of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

In 2003, he was named to the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Concerning the Arab and Muslim World. He served as an official observer during the Palestinian elections held in February 2005 and as President George W. Bush’s representative to the funeral of former Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat. In 1992, Mr. Salem received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, an award presented annually to Americans for outstanding contributions to their ethnic groups and American society.