William M. Berenson is currently an attorney in private practice in Arlington, Virginia.  Since 1984, Mr. Berenson has taught the survey course in United States law for foreign lawyers in the LL.M. Program.  In recent years, he has served as a visiting law professor at both the Central University of Venezuela and the University of Chile.

Mr. Berenson retired from the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (“OAS”) on December 31, 2012, after having served in various legal positions over a span of almost thirty-three years.  They included: General Counsel, Acting Assistant Secretary for Legal Affairs, Director of the Department of Legal Services, Chief of Litigation, and Principal Attorney.

 
Mr. Berenson has worked in both the private and public sectors as a litigator and a legal advisor on a wide range of issues involving:  tax, labor, corporate, energy, antitrust, development banking, estate planning, pensions, contracts, construction, real estate, transportation, immigration, trade, administrative, and public international law.  He has also advised on privatization efforts in Latin America.  He is fluent in Spanish and has a good working knowledge of Portuguese.

Mr. Berenson is the author of articles on privatization, telecommunications regulation, international banking, the inter-American system, immunities of international organizations, and other legal and political subjects.  He has also lectured on issues related to his practice and teaching, including: the privileges and immunities of public international organizations; the relationship between the United Nations and OAS; development cooperation; the OAS and Democratic Charters; privatization; estate taxation and planning (particularly for non-resident aliens); pension taxation, and constitutional law.