Stephen S. Kho

Stephen S. Kho is a partner in the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. He is based in Washington, DC and Geneva, Switzerland. Mr. 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 China matters, he was responsible for developing dispute 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, including services and financial services, trade in goods, intellectual property rights, investment, electronic commerce, subsidies, trade remedies, government procurement and non-tariff trade barriers.

Previously, Mr. Kho was 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 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.-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 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 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 received his LL.M, with distinction, from Georgetown University and his J.D., with honors, from the University of Maryland School of Law. He earned his B.A., with honors, from the University of Virginia.