Education
Columbia University School of Law, New York, New York
L.L.M., J.D., 2001Olin Fellow in Law and EconomicsWeatherhead East Asian Institute Fellowship, Columbia UniversityColumbia Journal of Transnational Law, Articles EditorColumbia Journal of Asian Law, Articles Editor
Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan
M.A. in History, expected 2023
Peking (Beijing) University School of Law, Beijing, China
Master of Law, 1998
Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
Bachelor of Economics, 1995
SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS AND WORKS IN-PROGRESS
- Chinese Family Law and Practice (ABA Publishing, 2023)
- An Act of Love: the Operation Babylift Litigation and the Emergence of Transnational Adoption Law (research paper in progress)
- In Re Lelah-Puc-Ka-Chee: Regarding the True Interest of the Meskwaki Indian Girl in the Progressive Era (in revision)
- The Illusion of Efficiency : How the Hague Convention on International Parental Child Abduction Turned Against the Best Interest of the Child (research paper in progress)
- What's a Corporate Wife Worth?: Gary Becker Doesn't Know - Family Economics and the Divorce Revolution(research paper in progress)
- Ethical Considerations in Representing Clients with Limited English Literacy: Non-English Speakers and Functionally Illiterate English Speakers (bar journal article in progress)
- Litigating International Family Law in the United States (book proposal in progress)
- 美国家事法：历史，理论及实践 [Family Law of the United States: History, Jurisprudence and Practice] (in Chinese) (book proposal in progress)
- From an Indentured French Girl to a Much-Married Puritan Woman: The Tale of Maudlin and an Origin Story of American Family Law, 1650-1700, Connecticut (in revision)
- Current State, Developments and Trends in Chinese Family Law from Recent Cases Reported by the Supreme People’s Court, 20.3 Asian-Pacific L. & Pol'y J. 29 (2019).
- Employees' Property Rights in China's State-Owned Enterprise Reorganization, 13 Colum. J. Asian L, 153 (2000).
- The Non-legalism of Agricultural Tax, Peking University Law Review, Vol. 2, No.1, 145-207 (1999) (in Chinese).
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
Central Michigan University, History Department, Mount Pleasant, MichiganSeptember 2019 – present, Small Group Instructor/Teaching AssistantTaught upper-level undergraduate intensive writing, U.S. history and North American indigenous history. Designed small group curricula, syllabi, and lectures. Facilitated small group self-directed learning discussions. Graded student papers, exams, and projects. Held office hours.
Columbia University Law School, Public Interest Law Initiative, New York October 1998- May 2001 Research projects: Individual economic rights, free-market economy, and constitutional democracy-making in transitional economies such as China, Hungary, and Poland.
Ford Foundation, BeijingJuly 1996- July 1998, Research FellowProject: Basic-level judicial system in rural China.
Peking University Law School, BeijingSeptember 1995- July 1998, Teaching AssistantCourses: Law and Economics, Comparative Constitutional Law, and Securities Law.
LEGAL EXPERIENCE
Law Offices of Rong T. Kohtz, New York, New York and Mount Pleasant, Michigan2004-present, Principal AttorneyRepresented clients from over 60 countries in the areas of family law, private international law, and immigration law. Litigated complex international and multijurisdictional family law cases in federal and state courts. Represented low-income immigrant children and women, as assigned counsel or pro bono, in domestic violence cases. Served as expert witness of U.S. family law and Chinese family law. Supervised and trained young lawyers and paralegals. Established and managed a successful law practice.
Clifford Chance, LLP, New York, New York2000 - 2003, Summer Associate/Law Clerk/AssociateHandled general corporate and employment litigation matters.
The Center for Women's Law Studies and Legal Services, Beijing1996 - 1999, Student Advocate Represented women in high-impact family law and employment law litigations. Researched and proposed legal reforms concerning women’s rights issues in family law, labor law and employment law. Assisted in fund raising campaigns. Presentations on the status of Chinese law, women’s rights, and non-governmental organizations to international organizations, including the United Nations. Organized community outreach and media and public relations campaigns.
SELECTED NON-SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS
- The Status of Women in 2023, 58 ABA/SIL YIR (2023).
- Making It Work: Stop Chasing Perfection and Make it a Family Affair, ABA Magazine, Feb/March 2021.
- Work-Life Balance as a Working Lawyer Mom, ABA GP/Solo Magazine, July/August 2020, 26-30
- Family Law Provisions in the General Provisions of the Civil Law of the People’s Republic of China (2017), 52 ABA/SIL YIR (2018).
- Expert Analysis: Forum Non Conveniens in International Matrimonial Litigation, New York Law Journal, March 5, 2015.
- The Status of Women (China) in 2015, 50 ABA/SIL YIR.
- The Status of Women (China) in 2014: A Global Snapshot, 49 ABA/SIL YIR 275 (2015).
- Spousal Support Obligation under Immigration Law, New York Women's Bar Association Journal, Vol. 16, 2005.
BAR ADMISSIONS
State: New York, Michigan
Federal: Southern District of New York, Eastern District of New York, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
The American Bar Association, International Family Law Committee, Vice Chair, 2023-2026
- International Academy of Family Lawyers, Fellow, 2011 – present
- State Bar Association of Michigan, Family Law Section, Member, 2016 – present
- New York State Bar Association, Family Law Section Member, 2004 – present
- American Immigration Lawyers Association, Member, 2004 – present
TEACHING AND RESEARCH INTERESTS
Primary interests:
Family Law, Clinical Teaching, Civil Procedure, Private International Law, Indigenous Law, Immigration Law,
Race and Law, Gender and Law
- Additional Interests: International and Comparative Family Law, Legal History, Law and Economics, Chinese Law, Education Law, Health Law
LANGUAGES
- English, Mandarin Chinese