Robert B. Shanks is Vice President, Legal, International and Washington Operations. His responsibilities include overseeing international legal and regulatory compliance and providing international legal expertise across the Company's six operating businesses. He also oversees legal operations for Raytheon's foreign subsidiaries and international offices. Shanks joined Raytheon in 2003 as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for Raytheon Technical Services Company. He moved to his current position in 2005.
Shanks began his legal career with clerkships for Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., U.S. Supreme Court (1976-1977), and Judge Edward A. Tamm, U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit (1975-1976). He served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice (1981-1984), and as Vice President and General Counsel for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) (1985-1987). Following his government service, he practiced law in Washington, D.C. as a partner in Sidley & Austin (1987-1991) and Latham & Watkins (1991-1995) before moving to Morrison & Foerster (1995-2000) to lead its international project development and finance practice. From 1997-1999 he was resident in Morrison's Hong Kong office. He has written and spoken extensively on international project finance, foreign investment and trade-related subjects.
Immediately prior to joining Raytheon, Shanks served as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for Nextel Communications (now Sprint Nextel) and was responsible for its international legal matters (2000-2002).
Shanks graduated from Brown University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, in 1972 and from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the Virginia Law Review, in 1975. He currently serves on the Board of the International Law Institute.