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Overview
Bob joined Tonkon Torp in 2018 as Chair of the Appellate Practice Group. Prior to joining the firm, he worked in the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. as part of its Civil Rights Division.
Bob spent five years as a Senior Attorney in the Appellate Section of the Division and five years in its Special Litigation Section. While in the Appellate Section, Bob handled numerous civil and criminal cases involving civil rights laws in the U.S. Courts of Appeals. He also drafted memoranda for Department leadership on sensitive and high-profile legal matters. Bob wrote a first draft of the Department's amicus brief advocating for nationwide marriage equality in the Supreme Court case of Obergefell v. Hodges, for which he received the Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award, the Department's second-highest award for employee performance. Bob also wrote the legal analysis behind the Department's challenge to North Carolina's H.B. 2 "bathroom bill," for which he received a Special Commendation Award.
Bob's litigation experience with the Department of Justice included serving as lead attorney on case teams enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act, for which he received Special Commendation and Distinguished Service Awards. Bob led investigations of state mental health systems; negotiated settlement agreements with the states of Oregon, Georgia, and Texas; oversaw implementation of the Georgia settlement by leading parties' meetings and managing relationships with state leadership; drafted case pleadings; argued motions in federal district court; and deposed, presented, and cross-examined witnesses.
In 2009, Bob worked on a detail to the Office of White House Counsel. In that role, he vetted candidates for Executive Branch and judicial positions, and drafted memoranda to the President analyzing LGBT legal issues.
Immediately following his graduation from law school, Bob served as a law clerk for Judge Susan P. Graber of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in Portland. As a clerk, he wrote bench memoranda, drafted and edited proposed opinions, reviewed petitions for rehearing, and argued cases to an oral screening panel of Ninth Circuit judges.
Bob graduated magna cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School in 2006. He served as the Editor in Chief of the Michigan Journal of Law Reform, finished third in the Henry M. Campbell Moot Court Competition, and represented children in abuse and neglect proceedings through the Child Advocacy Law Clinic.
In his free time, Bob enjoys tennis, hiking, travel, volleyball, football, softball, and organizing scavenger hunts.
Bob spent five years as a Senior Attorney in the Appellate Section of the Division and five years in its Special Litigation Section. While in the Appellate Section, Bob handled numerous civil and criminal cases involving civil rights laws in the U.S. Courts of Appeals. He also drafted memoranda for Department leadership on sensitive and high-profile legal matters. Bob wrote a first draft of the Department's amicus brief advocating for nationwide marriage equality in the Supreme Court case of Obergefell v. Hodges, for which he received the Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award, the Department's second-highest award for employee performance. Bob also wrote the legal analysis behind the Department's challenge to North Carolina's H.B. 2 "bathroom bill," for which he received a Special Commendation Award.
Bob's litigation experience with the Department of Justice included serving as lead attorney on case teams enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act, for which he received Special Commendation and Distinguished Service Awards. Bob led investigations of state mental health systems; negotiated settlement agreements with the states of Oregon, Georgia, and Texas; oversaw implementation of the Georgia settlement by leading parties' meetings and managing relationships with state leadership; drafted case pleadings; argued motions in federal district court; and deposed, presented, and cross-examined witnesses.
In 2009, Bob worked on a detail to the Office of White House Counsel. In that role, he vetted candidates for Executive Branch and judicial positions, and drafted memoranda to the President analyzing LGBT legal issues.
Immediately following his graduation from law school, Bob served as a law clerk for Judge Susan P. Graber of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in Portland. As a clerk, he wrote bench memoranda, drafted and edited proposed opinions, reviewed petitions for rehearing, and argued cases to an oral screening panel of Ninth Circuit judges.
Bob graduated magna cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School in 2006. He served as the Editor in Chief of the Michigan Journal of Law Reform, finished third in the Henry M. Campbell Moot Court Competition, and represented children in abuse and neglect proceedings through the Child Advocacy Law Clinic.
In his free time, Bob enjoys tennis, hiking, travel, volleyball, football, softball, and organizing scavenger hunts.
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Featured Work
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Community Involvement & Activities
Boost Oregon
Social Committee
Camp Kesem, Oregon Chapter
Advisory Board Member
Classroom Law Project, We the People
Team Coach, Franklin High School
DOJ Pride
2017, Vice President
2015–2016, Secretary
Capital Tennis Association
2013–2014, President
2010–2012, Social Chair
Social Committee
Camp Kesem, Oregon Chapter
Advisory Board Member
Classroom Law Project, We the People
Team Coach, Franklin High School
DOJ Pride
2017, Vice President
2015–2016, Secretary
Capital Tennis Association
2013–2014, President
2010–2012, Social Chair
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Professional Memberships
American Bar Association
Federal Bar Association
LGBT Bar Association of Oregon
Multnomah Bar Association
Oregon Women Lawyers
Owen M. Panner American Inn of Court, Master Member
Federal Bar Association
LGBT Bar Association of Oregon
Multnomah Bar Association
Oregon Women Lawyers
Owen M. Panner American Inn of Court, Master Member
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Awards & Recognition
National LGBT Bar Association
Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40
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Recent News
12.27.2018
Tonkon Torp Proud to Make a Strike for Diversity
Tonkon Torp has long been a champion of increasing the diversity of the Oregon legal community. One of the programs the firm supports is Opportunities for Law in Oregon (OLIO). OLIO is the Oregon State Bar's recruitment and retention program for law…
11.28.2018
Robert Koch Joins Advisory Board of Camp Kesem
Tonkon Torp attorney Robert Koch has joined the Advisory Board of Camp Kesem at the University of Oregon. Kesem is a national organization that provides free summer camps and community events to children impacted by a parent’s cancer.
2.12.2018
U.S. Department of Justice Appellate Attorney Joins Tonkon Torp
Federal appellate litigator Robert (Bob) Koch has joined Tonkon Torp as an Of Counsel attorney in the firm’s Litigation Department. Prior to joining the firm, he worked in the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. as part of its Civil Rights…