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Robert  Koch

Robert Koch

OF COUNSEL

503.802.2072
robert.koch@tonkon.com
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Overview

Bob chairs the firm’s Appellate Practice Group. He represents individuals, companies, and government entities in state and federal appellate courts. Throughout his career, Bob has successfully handled appeals in the U.S. Supreme Court, Oregon Supreme Court, Oregon Court of Appeals, and federal courts of appeals across the country, including the Ninth Circuit.

Each client has a story to tell. Bob works closely with clients to tell their story in a way that is clear, concise, and compelling. He also advises trial teams on winning strategies and arguments, either to avoid the need for an appeal or to lay the groundwork for one.

Before joining Tonkon Torp, Bob served for ten years in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C. He served for five years as a Senior Attorney in the Division’s Appellate Section, where he briefed and argued civil and criminal appeals, as well as drafted memoranda for Department leadership on high-profile legal matters. For example, Bob wrote a first draft of the Department’s amicus brief advocating for nationwide marriage equality in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Obergefell v. Hodges, and developed the legal analysis behind the Department’s challenge to North Carolina’s H.B. 2 bathroom bill.
 
Bob also served for five years as an Honors Attorney in the Division’s Special Litigation Section. There, he led litigation teams vindicating the rights of individuals with mental illness and developmental disabilities. He also negotiated settlement agreements with the states of Oregon, Georgia, and Texas to improve their community-based mental health services.

In addition, Bob served on a detail to the Office of White House Counsel under President Barack Obama. In that role, he vetted candidates for Executive and Judicial Branch nominations and drafted memoranda to the President.
 
Following his graduation from law school, Bob clerked for Judge Susan P. Graber of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in Portland. Bob graduated from the University of Michigan Law School magna cum laude and Order of the Coif. At Michigan, he served as Editor in Chief of the Michigan Journal of Law Reform and finished third in the Henry M. Campbell Moot Court Competition.
 
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Get To Know

In his free time, Bob enjoys tennis, hiking, travel, volleyball, football, and organizing scavenger hunts.
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Featured Representative Matters

Won a favorable ruling from the Oregon Court of Appeals that allows for Masjid Ibrahim, a local mosque, to be built in the Bethany area of Multnomah County. While the county and the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) approved the building of the mosque, the plan was opposed by a neighbor, who cited traffic and other impacts as not compatible with the residential character of the neighborhood. The court’s ruling opens opportunities across the state for others seeking to site new places of worship (Oregon Court of Appeals).

Represented a plaintiff in an individual and class action lawsuit against a national auto insurer; successfully obtained a reversal of the federal district court’s dismissal of the plaintiff’s complaint (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit).

Represented a father in a child custody dispute; successfully obtained a reversal of the decision by the Oregon Court of Appeals, which had reversed the trial court’s award of custody to the father (Oregon Supreme Court).

Represented a company seeking to redeem the shares of minority shareholders; successfully defended against an attempt to stop the redemption proceedings ordered by the trial court (Oregon Court of Appeals).
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Featured Work

Tonkon Torp Helps to Clear Path for Building Mosque, Other Religious Facilities

Tonkon Torp appellate attorney Bob Koch recently won a favorable ruling from the Oregon Court of Appeals that allows for Masjid Ibrahim, a local mosque, to be built in the Bethany area of Multnomah County. The court’s ruling is also an important victory for all proposed places of worship throughout Oregon.

Robert Koch Wins Pro Bono Appeal at Oregon Supreme Court

Tonkon Torp attorney Robert Koch, Chair of the firm’s Appellate Practice Group, won a family law appeal in the Oregon Supreme Court involving a child custody dispute for his client.

Tonkon Torp Wins Appellate Victory in Auto Insurer Case

Tonkon Torp recently achieved a complete appellate win on behalf of its client, Leif Hansen, in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2018, Tonkon Torp attorneys Steve Olson, Paul Conable, and Meg Houlihan represented Hansen individually and in a proposed class action against his auto insurer, GEICO, for refusing to pay for digital scans of his truck as part of the truck’s repair following a collision. Hansen sued for breach of contract under his insurance policy and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. The federal district court dismissed the complaint for failure to state a claim. That dismissal prompted an appeal to the Ninth Circuit, which was led by Bob Koch and Meg Houlihan.

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Community Involvement & Activities


Oregon State Bar – Constitutional Law Section
Executive Committee, Member-at-Large (2020 – present)

Oregon State Bar – Appellate Practice Section
Executive Committee, Member-at-Large (2020 – present)

Oregon State Bar – Procedure & Practice Committee
Member (2019 – present)

Ninth Circuit Lawyer Representative – District of Oregon
At-Large Representative (2020 – present)
District Co-Chair (2019 – 2020)

Pioneer Courthouse Historical Society
Membership Director (2019 – present)

Classroom Law Project
We the People Coach, Franklin High School (2018 – present)

Owen M. Panner American Inn of Court
Barrister Member (2018 – present)

Camp Kesem – Oregon Chapter
Advisory Board Member (2018 – present)

U.S. Department of Justice – DOJ Pride
Vice President (2017)
Secretary (2015 – 2016)

Capital Tennis Association
President (2013 – 2014)
Social Chair (2010 – 2012)
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Professional Memberships

American Bar Association
Federal Bar Association
LGBT Bar Association of Oregon

Multnomah Bar Association
Oregon State Bar, Appellate and Constitutional Law Sections

Oregon Women Lawyers
 
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Awards & Recognition

DOJ Pride

2017, James R. Douglass Award (for contributing to the work-life environment for LGBT employees at the U.S. Department of Justice)

National LGBT Bar Association

2015, Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40

U.S. Department of Justice

2016, Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award (the Department’s second-highest award for employee performance)
2010 & 2016, Civil Rights Division’s Special Commendation Award
2012 & 2015, Civil Rights Division’s Special Achievement Award
2011, Civil Rights Division’s Distinguished Service Award
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Recent News

12.8.2020

Tonkon Torp Litigators Share Expertise in Oregon Civil Pleading and Litigation Publication

Tonkon Torp litigators have contributed their expertise to a new treatise on civil litigation practice, Oregon Civil Pleading and Litigation.
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12.2.2020

Bob Koch Moderates Annual U.S. Supreme Court Review/Preview for OSB

On November 13, Tonkon Torp attorney Bob Koch moderated the Annual United States Supreme Court Review/Preview hosted by the Oregon State Bar's Constitutional Law Section. The program featured guest speaker Professor Pamela Karlan, one of the nation’s…
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8.6.2020

Bob Koch and Sadie Concepción Share Pro Bono Opportunities on MBA Panel

Attorneys Bob Koch and Sadie Concepción were featured panelists on a June 24 webinar hosted by the Multnomah Bar Association. The program, moderated by US District Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman, offered a variety of perspectives and options…
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3.10.2020

Robert Koch Represents the District of Oregon to the Ninth Circuit Conference of Chief District Judges

Tonkon Torp attorney Robert Koch recently represented the District of Oregon at the Ninth Circuit’s Conference of Chief District Judges held in San Diego, CA. The Conference of Chief District Judges brings together the chief judges of the 15 judicial…
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3.5.2020

Robert Koch Appointed to Two OSB Section Executive Committees

Tonkon Torp attorney Robert Koch has been appointed to the Executive Committees of the Oregon State Bar (OSB) Appellate Practice and Constitutional Law Sections. The OSB Appellate Practice Section serves state and federal appellate practitioners in…
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8.9.2019

Robert Koch Joins Board of Pioneer Courthouse Historical Society

Robert Koch has joined the Board of Directors for the Pioneer Courthouse Historical Society as its Membership Director. The Society is an organization of judges, court staff, lawyers, historians, architects, and exhibit designers who work to preserve…
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3.19.2019

Robert Koch Named District of Oregon Ninth Circuit Lawyer Representative

Tonkon Torp attorney Robert Koch has been selected to serve a three-year term as a Ninth Circuit Lawyer Representative for the District of Oregon. Tonkon Torp nominated Koch for the position to the Honorable Michael W. Mosman, Chief Judge of the U.S…
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2.7.2019

Bob Koch Appointed to OSB Procedure and Practice Committee

Tonkon Torp attorney Bob Koch has been appointed to a three-year term on the Procedure and Practice Committee of the Oregon State Bar (OSB). The committee studies and makes recommendations to the OSB Board of Governors on the procedures and practices…
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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…
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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.
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Publications & Presentations


"U.S. Supreme Court Review/Preview with Professor Pamela Karlan," OSB Constitutional Law Section, November 2020

"Appellate Considerations for Trial Counsel," Litigation Journal, Fall 2020

“Appellate Considerations for Trial Counsel,” Oregon Civil Pleading and Litigation (2020 ed.)

Panelist, “Sharpening Your Skills Through Pro Bono Practice,” Multnomah Bar Association, June 2020
 
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Services

Appeals Constitutional Law & Civil Rights Government Solutions
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Education

J.D., magna cum laude, University of Michigan Law School, 2006, Order of the Coif

B.A., cum laude, Duke University, 2000
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Bar & Court Admissions

Oregon State Bar
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and D.C. Circuits
U.S. District Court, District of Oregon
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