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American Bar Association

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Attorney By Attorney
Career Profiles of the Profession

Who?

Michael H. Cho
Senior Counsel
michael _h_cho@bankone.com

What?

Primary Practice Area & Subspecialty Fields:
Regulatory Proceedings with current focus on the USA PATRIOT Act, Suspicious Activity Reporting and Anti-Money Laundering.

When?

Years in Practice Area:
Since 2002

Years in the Legal Profession:
Since 1993

Where?

Employer:
Bank One Corporation
www.bankone.com

Size/Sector:
2 in practice group

City/State:
Chicago, IL

Law School:
Loyola University, Chicago School of Law


Undergraduate School/Degree:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign/Biology

Why?

Pluses/Challenges of Practice Area:
Substantial experience in new and constantly changing practice regarding terrorism and its impact on the financial industry; active role in guiding and recommending internal policies involving corporate security.

Core Skills/Key Knowledge Needed in Your Practice Area:
Knowledge of Bank Secrecy Act, USA PATRIOT Act, regulations issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC); strong communication skills; familiarity with criminal/civil procedure and law as related to the financial industry (i.e. suspicious activity reports, structuring, money laundering, etc.)

Advice to Lawyers and Law Students Interested in Your Practice Area:
Experience working for regulatory agencies (SEC, NASD, OFAC, OCC) in area of compliance/enforcement is a tremendous advantage; regulatory defense work also is a benefit; any experience with USA PATRIOT Act, especially in relation to its interpretation and enforcement, is a significant advantage.

How?

Career Path to Current Position:
Began my career as a criminal prosecutor, moved to a medium-sized litigation firm (Freeborn & Peters), then to a large firm (Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal) practicing in commercial and patent litigation, in addition to some regulatory defense work.

Influences and Mentors:
My parents, my older brother Paul (an international attorney practicing in Korea); Theodore Burtzos (my first supervisor and the first hearing-impaired judge in the State of Illinois); Honorable Sandra Otaka (first elected Asian American judge in Illinois); Rob Johnson (Sonnenschein); Elissa Rhee-Lee (former prosecutor and also colleague at Sonnenschein).

Suggested Reading About Your Practice Area:
USA PATRIOT Act, OFAC website, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) website, Bank Secrecy Act.

Job Search Techniques Used in Finding Your Position(s):
Networking!

Bar Affiliations and Activities:

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), Regional Governor; Asian American Bar Association, Secretary; Korean American Bar Association; American Bar Association; Special Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Professionalism; Adjunct Professor, Loyola University, Chicago School of Law.

Memorable Career Moment:

Arguing case of first impression before Illinois Supreme Court that created new discovery law on the prosecution of criminal cases in juvenile court.

Intriguing Interests:

Just about all interests these days involve my son Ethan (19 months), but I also am an avid cyclist.