Ambassador David Wilkins is a partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP and chairs the Public Policy and International Law practice group, which focuses primarily on representing businesses on both sides of the US-Canadian border and offers experience on a wide range of strategic bilateral issues. Mr. Wilkins was nominated by President George W. Bush to become the United States Ambassador to Canada. He began his service on June 29, 2005, and served until January 20, 2009.

Experience

• As ambassador, helped resolve issues between Canada and the United States, including the decades-old softwood lumber trade dispute
• Worked on issues such as energy, national security, the environment, trade, and travel
• Practiced law for 34 years in Greenville, South Carolina, before assuming ambassadorship and has experience in civil litigation and appellate law

Leadership Positions

• Elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1980 and served there for 25 years
• Served six years as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and two years as Speaker Pro Tem before being elected Speaker of the House, a post he held for 11 years
• First Republican elected Speaker of any legislative body in the South since the 1880s and retired as one of the longest serving speakers in the country