Stemming from service as a Georgetown alumnus, Eugene Stewart turned an enlightened vision for public housing into a reality that drew national acclaim in the late 1960s. The Sursum Corda (“lift up your hearts”) community in Washington, DC departed from the high-rise model of privately-financed, publicly-subsidized housing model that had prevailed up to that point. Rather than warehousing people in substandard isolation, Stewart conceived a community of townhouses varying in size to accommodate people from large growing families to retirees living alone. The units included amenities such as washers and dryers and air conditioning for convenience and comfort. A library where tutoring services were offered, an activity and social center, and open spaces fostered a sense of community and individual pride and development. Throughout his 20-year stewardship, when social ills threatened the integrity and quality of the community, Stewart regularly devoted his own time and resources to combat crime, vandalism, and other social ills in order to give meaning to the term and residents of Sursum Corda.
The Sursum Corda experience is a metaphor for Stewart and Stewart’s approach to trade law and commitment to its clients. Eugene Stewart believed that all sectors of our economy could succeed if given a level playing field under the law. Terry Stewart and his colleagues continue in their steadfast commitment to that principle and work tirelessly for their client’s well-being every day whether in addressing import challenges in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world, export challenges, governmental affairs needs or any of the other areas of engagement.
The firm is guided by a commitment to vigorous representation of its clients’ interests and a belief that high ethical standards promote respect for the rule of law. Stewart and Stewart enjoys Martindale-Hubbell's highest rating and the firm is part of the International Society of Primerus Law Firms, an international network of top-rated, independent, specialty law firms that have met the highest peer review standards built on six pillars: Integrity, Excellent Work Product, Reasonable Fees, Continuing Legal Education, Civility, and Community Service – pillars followed by the founder and continued by the current lawyers.
The firm has grown over the years and has the ability to handle client needs whether large or small in size. Loyalty, excellent customer service, and dedication to going the extra step on behalf of the client are the pillars on which the firm has always rested and the source of client relationships that go back in some cases decades.
Today’s team of nearly two dozen attorneys and trade consultants bring a variety of professional skills to the service of clients. The firm’s language capability includes, among others, Russian, Japanese, Mandarin, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Farsi among others. In the last three years, the firm has expanded its government affairs services building on its core strengths in international trade law but extending into global climate change, patent reform, agricultural policy and other areas.
As globalization plays an ever greater role in the everyday life of nations, businesses, and individuals, the firm is committed to promoting expanded trade opportunities under global and national rules that help reduce or eliminate market distortions and that ensure that rules reflect the needs and realities of the current environment. The integration of former Eastern Bloc states and China and the emergence of large developing countries such as Brazil and India have brought billions of new workers in to the global economic system in the last 15 years. Today, there are roughly 400 bilateral and regional free trade agreements, which the United States is party to 20.
Against this backdrop, issues such as environment protections, worker rights, competition policy, technology diffusion and access, productivity, exchange rate disequilibrium, and the integration of the world’s poorest nations into the global economy are some the key areas in which Stewart and Stewart is committed to playing an active role. We look forward to serving clients and contributing to a sustainable, and vibrant international trading system that works for all people, and to serving as a resource for governments, industries, companies, farmers, ranchers, workers and communities.