Frances Kao is an attorney, independent arbitrator and mediator who specializes in complex commercial and real estate disputes and franchising issues. She is a certified commercial arbitrator and mediator. Between 1992 and 2013, Frances was an attorney (and partner) at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, a major international law firm. Before retiring from Skadden, Frances was the head of the firm’s Asia-Pacific practice in dispute resolution and corporate/white collar investigations, based in Hong Kong. She is a native Mandarin speaker and is serving/has served on a number of boards, including that of Governors State University, Cornell College, City Club of Chicago and the Shriver Center for Poverty Law. She earned a juris doctorate from Chicago-Kent College of Law and earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell College (Iowa).
Since 2012, Frances has additionally turned her attention to addressing housing issues including that of accessibility and affordability. Her developments focus on universal design (fully accessible for all ages and all abilities), sustainability and green spaces.