Stephen Kho focuses on international trade policy and international dispute resolution. He represents companies and governments on matters ranging from market access and investment to public international law.
Mr. Kho joined Akin Gump after nine years at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) in the Executive Office of the President. At USTR he was associate general counsel and acting chief counsel on China enforcement. As the principal attorney on all China matters, he was responsible for developing disputes and advocacy positions related to China’s obligations in the World Trade Organization (WTO). He was involved in formulating policy and legal strategy, consulting Congress and industry, and coordinating interagency efforts on these matters. His substantive experience covers the range of trade issues with China, including services and financial services, trade in goods, intellectual property rights, investment, electronic commerce, subsidies, trade remedies, government procurement and non-tariff trade barriers. He participated in the annual U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade meetings, the administration of the Section 421 China-specific safeguard and the Strategic & Economic Dialogue.
Mr. Kho was previously also the lead USTR attorney on intellectual property and government procurement matters. In that capacity, he led the U.S. delegation in related WTO and NAFTA dispute resolution proceedings. He also participated in administering the Special 301 process, the presidential review of Section 337 and the granting of waivers under the Buy America Act; as well as in numerous free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, including the U.S.-Jordan FTA, the U.S.-Singapore FTA, the U.S.-Chile FTA, the CAFTA-DR and the U.S.-Korea FTA.
From 2002 to 2005, Mr. Kho was legal advisor at the U.S. Mission to the WTO in Geneva, Switzerland, where he managed the WTO dispute settlement portfolio for the U.S. government. He was involved in formulating litigation strategies for the cases involving the United States and has participated in every stage of the WTO dispute settlement process. Mr. Kho is a member of the WTO’s indicative list of panelists for dispute settlement in the areas of goods, services and intellectual property rights.
In addition to Geneva, Mr. Kho lived in China for three years, teaching international trade law at various universities in Beijing, Suzhou, Changsha and Zhenjiang. He speaks Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese.
Mr. Kho is listed in the 2009-2011 editions of Chambers Asia and Chambers Global, in the category of International Trade. He is also cited in the 2011 edition of Legal 500. Mr. Kho serves as the chair of the Board of Directors of Educational Services International, Inc.
Mr. Kho received his B.A. with honors from the University of Virginia in 1991, his J.D. with honors from the University of Maryland in 1995 and his LL.M. with distinction from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1998. He is a member of the District of Columbia and Maryland bars.