David Birenbaum retired as a partner from the law office of Fried, Frank after more than thirty years with the firm and upon his retirement became of counsel. He served for two years as the U.S. Ambassador to the UN for UN Management and Reform, was a public member of the U.S. Delegation to the U.N. Conference on Human rights in Geneva, served as Associate General Counsel of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, and was a Senior Scholar of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He founded the Emergency Coalition for U.S. Financial Support of the UN and served as its chair for more than ten years.