Philip S. Kaplan

Following a distinguished career as a diplomat in the United States Foreign Service, and an international practice at Patton Boggs LLP, Philip S. Kaplan joined Berliner Corcoran & Rowe LLP's Washington, D.C office as a partner.

Ambassador Kaplan continues his practice focused on public and private international law, advising clients on international cross border business transactions, public policy, trade and investment matters, and issues involving foreign governments. He has represented five foreign sovereign governments in the United States and provides corporate clients with international strategic risk assessment. He assists clients before Washington regulatory agencies and with governments around the world. He represents both American and foreign corporations and individuals pursuing business opportunities and facing allegations and bureaucratic harassment overseas.

Ambassador Kaplan's practice includes management of high-visibility litigation and arbitration matters, anti-trust cases before the European Commission, sensitive immigration matters and higher education. He has led ten investment missions to the Philippines and has been engaged for clients at the juncture of law, business and policy, with a substantial focus on East Asia and the developing world. His sovereign representations have included the Philippines, Qatar, Peru, the Czech Republic and Nigeria.

Ambassador Kaplan entered the Foreign Service after his tenure as counsel to the California Legislature, under a Ford Foundation grant, and in private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area.  He served as U.S. ambassador and deputy representative to the 22-nation Vienna Negotiation on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, which led to an historic treaty reducing force levels in Europe and ending the Cold War.

Ambassador Kaplan was appointed as U.S. Minister, deputy chief of mission and Charge d'Affaires to the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines during the country's democratic transition from Ferdinand Marcos to Cory Aquino. Previously, he served as principal deputy assistant secretary of state for policy planning, covering the full range of U.S. foreign policy. He twice served as senior advisor to and international trouble shooter for secretaries of state, with special assignments in Latin America, Europe, East Asia and Africa - and later served as senior advisor on the Policy Planning Staff.  His Foreign Service career also has included assignments at the U.S. Embassy in Bonn, Germany, the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels and frequent official travel around the world.

Philip Kaplan received his B.A. degree cum laude from the University of Connecticut, majoring in history, economics and philosophy.  He received his J.D. degree from Boalt Hall of Law, the University of California Berkeley. He has studied advanced international relations at Stanford University. 

Ambassador Kaplan has served as Adjunct Professor at Brown University and American University, teaching a course on Europe After the Cold War, as Professorial Lecturer at George Washington University's Elliot School of International Affairs, and as Adjunct Professor at the School of Advanced International Studies of the Johns Hopkins University. He now teaches a graduate course on International Crisis Diplomacy at Georgetown University.  He is married to Barbara Kaplan, a teacher at the Washington International School.

Ambassador Kaplan has authored a novel, Night in Tehran, published in November 2020.

Ambassador Kaplan was elected September 13, 2021 to Marquis Who's Who in America.

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