Sarah Rapawy is the General Counsel of The Asia Group, where she manages the day-to-day legal function, providing legal advice to partners and staff and minimizing legal risks to the organization. She brings to this position extensive legal experience in the private, public and non-profit sectors, and she enjoys finding creative legal solutions that enable operational success.
Prior to joining The Asia Group, Sarah served from 2010-2017 in the Office of the General Counsel at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), most recently as the Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Africa. In that role she advised senior agency officials on an array of legal and policy issues related to the provision of development assistance to Africa. A true jack-of-all trades, Sarah’s role included everything from advising on federal grant making and procurement regulations to drafting public-private partnerships, negotiating international treaties, and representing USAID before the National Security Council.
Sarah started her legal career as a Senior Litigation Associate at WilmerHale LLP, handling complex commercial litigation and arbitration matters in industries ranging from aviation and reinsurance to telecommunications. She was the lead associate on a transnational matter defending against the enforcement of multi-billion dollar Nicaraguan judgments in U.S. court, overseeing all aspects of pre-trial and trial preparation. While at WilmerHale, Sarah also maintained a robust pro bono docket, including asylum, criminal, and non-profit legal matters.
Currently Sarah serves in a pro bono capacity as the General Counsel of the non-profit Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, of which she is also a member of the board of directors. She is fluent in French and Spanish and obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in International Relations from Stanford University and her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude, Order of the Coif.
Sarah lives in Washington, DC with her husband, two children and their mini-Bernedoodle. She most enjoys searching for crabs, clams, and other treasures of the sea on the shores of Cape Cod.