Kevin Zhao

Practice Areas

X. Kevin Zhao represents clients in complex disputes, including multidistrict, antitrust, and consumer class actions; contract, tort, and fiduciary-duty claims; and product-liability litigation.

Kevin brings a strategic eye to complex litigation and arbitration. His talent for identifying and articulating the most critical issues—without losing important nuances—makes him an effective advocate at all stages of litigation, from initial case assessment to post-trial appeals. Kevin is currently coordinating legal strategy in courts across the country. He has authored winning briefs, argued successful dispositive and non-dispositive motions for clients in significant lawsuits and arbitrations, and led trial teams.

Kevin also has substantial experience in international litigation and cross-border disputes. Leveraging his fluency in Mandarin, Kevin (赵晓川) has prepared, defended, and taken numerous depositions of Chinese-speaking witnesses in China and Hong Kong, and has worked with—and against—experts in Chinese law and regulatory compliance.

Clients turn to Kevin repeatedly to understand and help solve their most challenging problems.

Professional Memberships

Having emigrated to the United States as a small child, Kevin identifies personally with the immigrant experience. He maintains an active pro bono practice, working closely with The Advocates for Human Rights to help asylum seekers escape persecution and reunite with their families. Kevin has served on the Advocates for Human Rights’ Board of Directors since 2021.

In early 2026, Kevin served on the litigation team working alongside the ACLU of Minnesota to file a class action lawsuit against the Trump administration on behalf of three community members — and a class of similarly situated people — whose constitutional rights were violated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other federal agents.

Kevin is an at-large member of the Minnesota Judicial Selection Commission and has served on additional merit selection panels for federal and magistrate judge vacancies.

Education

Work Highlights

• Led the briefing team in defeating multiple classes actions brought against grain handlers concerning genetically modified products at the trial court, and defended the win on appeal.

• Won dispositive motions, a bench trial, and an interlocutory appeal on behalf of a major corporation in a landmark case involving genetically modified products.

• Won an early dispositive motion by a putative class of noteholders against a large accounting firm.

• Successfully tried a nine-figure fraudulent transfer case on behalf of a major corporation in federal court, which settled mid-trial.

• Led litigation team in a complex reinsurance matter that involved dispositive motion practice and multiple preliminary-injunction hearings, in Minnesota federal court and states courts in Kansas and Ohio, and arbitration.

• Secured asylum (affirmatively and in removal proceedings) for numerous clients, including those originally from Central and East Africa.