Joe Yang is an Attorney-Advisor in the Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of the General Counsel. Mr. Yang primarily advises governments in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Prior to joining CLDP, Mr. Yang was a partner with the law firm of Kennedy & Graven where his practice included representation of local government units in economic development projects. He took a two year sabbatical from the practice of law and moved to Shanghai, China where he started his own sourcing company that imported agro-chemicals from China to the United States. During that time period, Mr. Yang also served as a corporate trainer for Target Corporation’s sourcing arm located in Shanghai. During another break from private practice, Mr. Yang served as a Professional Errors and Omissions Attorney for Travelers Insurance Company managing litigation for the company’s high exposure professional liability lawsuits.
Mr. Yang received his juris doctorate from William Mitchell College of Law and his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University. He is admitted to practice law in the state of Minnesota. Mr. Yang has worked and traveled throughout China and speaks intermediate Chinese and Taiwanese. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors for Yinghua Academy, one of the leading Mandarin immersion schools in the United States.