On Tuesday, August 27, 2024, the Supreme Court of Maryland issued an order suspending attorney Francis Huisuk Koh from practicing law in the state for six months.
The case is entitled “Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland v. Francis H. Koh.”
This suspension arose from Koh’s previous disciplinary actions in Virginia and by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). According to a May 17, 2024 order, the Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board had suspended Koh’s license to practice for six months in response to a February 9, 2024 USPTO order.
The USPTO found Koh violated ethics rules regarding competent representation, diligence, supervision of non-lawyer assistants, misrepresentation, conduct prejudicial to justice, and conduct reflecting poorly on fitness to practice. Koh owns Koh Law Firm in Bethesda and Rockville, Maryland, and represented over 28,000 foreign clients in trademark applications filed with the USPTO between 2019 and 2023.
The Maryland Court’s order stated it granted the “Joint Petition for Reciprocal Discipline by Consent” filed by Koh and the Attorney Grievance Commission on August 23, 2024. The petition noted Koh’s conduct did not occur in Maryland but attached documentation of the Virginia disciplinary action.
As a result, the Maryland high court suspended Koh from practicing law in the state for the same six-month period as the other jurisdictions, effective from May 17, 2022.
According to avvo.com, Mr. Koh is a bankruptcy & debt attorney in Bethesda, Maryland. He attended the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, graduating in 2001. He acquired his law license in Maryland in 2003.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
