Thomas R. Kline

Of Counsel

Tom concentrates his practice in civil litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution involving the following areas: general commercial matters, bankruptcy, intellectual property, insurance, energy, environmental issues and administrative law cases, with a specialization in art and cultural property litigation and advice.

Tom most recently served as the Managing Partner of Andrews Kurth's Washington, DC office and on the firm's Policy Committee.

Publications

• The Fall and Rise of Marion True and the Getty Museum (pdf) International Foundation for Art Research Journal, Volume 13 Number 3 (2012)
• Portrait of Notoriety (pdf) Wall Street Journal (July 27, 2010)
• "Vorderasiatisches [Middle Eastern] Museum Berlin Loses World War II Trophy Art Case in New York; First German Cultural Institution to Fail on Claim for Return in United States Court" (pdf) Kunst und Recht
• "Chapter: Art Market" Yearbook of Cultural Property Law (2010)
• "Chapter: Art Market" Yearbook of Cultural Property Law (2009)
• "Q&A with Thomas Kline" (pdf) Art and Cultural Heritage Law Newsletter (Spring 2008)
• "Chapter: Art Market" Yearbook of Cultural Property Law (2008)
• "Chapter: Art Market" Yearbook of Cultural Property Law (2007)
• "Museum Governance Developments: Trustees Taking Greater Responsibility" Yearbook of Cultural Property Law (2007)
• "Christie's New York To Auction Picasso's Still Life" artdaily.com (November 1, 2006)
• "Wiesenthal Centre Challenges Hunt Museum on Looted Art Issues—Hunt Museum Evaluation Group Reports Response to Irish Museum Community" Kunst und Recht
• "Chapter: Art Market" Yearbook of Cultural Property Law (2006)
• "U.S. Citizen Can Sue Austria: Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Klimt Claimant" ArtNews (June 1, 2004)
• "Unfinished Business: Returning Looted War Assets," a Book Review by Thomas R. Kline Public Affairs (January 1, 2003)
• "The New York State Law Initiative" (April 12, 2000)
• "Resolving Stolen Art Theft Claims" Congress Monthly (December 31, 1999)
• "Recent Developments in the Recovery of Old Master Drawings from Bremen" The Spoils of War International Newsletter (June 1, 1998)
• "The Recovery of Stolen Art Sold in the United States from a Neutral Country" American University International Law Review (1998)
• "Legal Issues Relating to the Recovery of the Quedlinburg Treasures" The Spoils of War (December 31, 1997)
• "Recovering Wartime Losses and Other Stolen Art and Cultural Property Found in the United States" The Spoils of War International Newsletter (December 1, 1996)
• "Recent Developments in Energy Resources Law" Tort & Insurance Law Journal (1995)
• "Overview" Environmental Law Anthology (1992)
• "Alternative Dispute Resolution Settlements and Negotiations" (pdf) C-Level Business Intelligence (October 27, 2006)

In The News

• Tom was quoted in "Nazi-Loot Panel Hopes Fade in U.S., Forcing Court Action," Bloomberg Businessweek (November 28, 2012)
• Tom was quoted in "A Memorandum Rescued Our Cultural Heritage," on www.parathyro.com (November 27, 2012)
• Tom's interview “The Mosaics of Kanakaria Changed the Attitude Towards the Return of Antiquities” was featured in the November 2012 issue of Politis Newspaper, Cyprus
• Tom was quoted in the March 2011 D Magazine article regarding Robert Edsel and the Monuments Men Foundation.
• Tom attended a news conference with Paul Allen, trustee of the estate of deceased author Adrian Jacobs, regarding a copyright lawsuit against Scholastic Inc. in New York on July 14, 2010.
• Tom was featured in an alumni profile in the July/August 2010 edition of Columbia College Today magazine.
• On June 7, Tom was interviewed by the NewsChannel 8 program, "Let's Talk Live," in a segment entitled, "A pair of real-life Indiana Joneses, Willi Korte and Tom Kline, discuss their adventures."
• On April 7, Tom participated in a panel discussion at Georgetown Law School at an event entitled: "Final Restitution: Recovering Art Stolen by Hitler" co-sponsored by the Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA) and Students Against Looting Valuable Antiquities - a Georgetown Endeavor (SALVAGE).
• Tom's Art and Cultural Property practice was featured in "Searching for Masterpieces," Washingtonian Magazine (November 2009).  
• Tom, along with Eden Burgess, was featured in the June issue of Legal Bisnow.
• Tom was interviewed by National Geographic for two videos: "Man fights Nazi plunder" and "'Treasure Wars' Overview."
• Tom was quoted by Bloomberg and the Associated Press in two articles on December 10, 2008: "Max Stern Estate Pursues Nazi-Seized Art in German Collections," and "Max Stern Estate Recovers Looted Art in Europe and America."

Events

• "What's a Collector to Do? The Sticky Issue of Provenance" (April 14, 2013)
• "War Loss, Legal Proceedings and Judgment" (May 3, 2012)
• "Legal and Ethical Issues Concerning Cultural Property and Holocaust/WWII Art Looting" (March 27, 2012)
• "Art Looting in the Third Reich" (March 14, 2012)
• "Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Cyprus Concerning the Protection of Cultural Property from Cyprus" (January 2012)
• "Daubert and Expert Testimony in Art Cases" (November 18, 2011)
• "Provenance Research at the MFA: Its Historical, Legal and Ethical Context" (November 5, 2011)
• "Protecting the Cultural Property of Cyprus, Now and in the Future: Opportunities for Broader Collaboration" (October 14, 2011)
• "Restitution of Art Looted or Otherwise Displaced During Wartime: Implications for Appraisers" (September 27, 2011)
• "Art Transaction Issues: You say: 'ART!' I say: 'RISK!' Ready?" (September 21, 2011)
• "Museum Ethics & Governance Issues: Basics and Beyond" (September 18, 2011)
• "Restitution of Art Looted or Otherwise Displaced During Wartime: Implications for Appraisers," American Society of Appraisers (June 14, 2011)
• "Legal Ethical and Moral Issues Related to Art Looted by the Nazis or Otherwise Displaced During World War II" (June 13, 2011)
• "Holocaust Art Looting" (April 19, 2011)
• "What is Art and Cultural Property Law?" (March 23, 2011)
• "All is Fair in Art and War: Confiscation of Cultural Property During Times of Armed Conflict" (March 21, 2011)
• "Remnants of Genocide: Reclaiming Art and Other Heirlooms Lost in Atrocities" (March 11, 2011)
• "Tracking Hitler's Stolen Treasures" (November 16, 2010)
• "Culture and Conflict: The US and the 1954 Hague Convention" Conference (October 23, 2009)
• "What is Art Law? Art, Cultural Property and Museum Law and Practice" (October 21, 2009)
• Aspen Cultural Diplomacy Forum (September 15, 2009)
• "Estate and Tax Strategies" (May 2009)
• "Provenance Research and Council of American Jewish Museums (CAJM) Leadership: Not An Option, an Imperative" (February 4, 2009)
• "Legal Issues in the Restitution of Art Looted by the Nazis or Otherwise Displaced During Wartime" (February 2, 2009)
• "The Changing Interface Between Legal Title and the Valuation of Fine Art and Tangible Personal Property" (January 14, 2009)
• "Legal Issues in the Restitution of Art Looted by the Nazis or Otherwise Displaced during World War II" (April 28, 2005)
• "Opening Statement to the Committee on Art & Cultural Property Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States" (April 12, 2000)

Speaker

• "Legal, Ethical and Moral Issues Related to Art Looted by the Nazis or Otherwise Displaced during World War II," Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC (April 2010)
• "Recovery of Art Stolen During World War II," When Justice Fails: Threats to the Independence of the Judiciary, National Judicial College, Washington, DC (February 1999)
• "United States Law Governing the Restitution of Stolen Art and Cultural Property," Okinawa, Japan (October 1998)
• "United States Law Governing the Restitution of Stolen Art and Cultural Property," The Legal Aspects Concerning the Restitution of Cultural Treasures: Theory and Practice, Kiev, Ukraine (December 1996)
• "Litigating Lender Liability for Hazardous Waste: the Mirabile Case," American Bar Association Litigation Section Meeting, Chicago, Illinois (Fall 1987)

Panelist

• "Final Restitution: Recovering of Art stolen by Hitler," Georgetown Law School, Washington, DC (April 2010) 
• "Evolving Standards: Due Diligence and the Acquisition of Antiquities and Ancient Art," American Association of Museums Annual Meeting, Indianapolis (May 2005)
• "Nazi Artwork Theft: Reality, Process and Responsibility Fifty Years Later," New York University School of Law, New York City (March 1998)

Teacher

• George Washington University, Assistant Professorial Lecturer, Museum Studies (2000-present)
• George Mason University, School of Law, Adjunct Lecturer, Civil Procedure (1986)
• The American University, Washington College of Law, Adjunct Lecturer, Legal Methods and Contracts (1977-1981)

Professional Recognition

• Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Das Verdienstkreuz des Verdienstordens)

• Austin
• Beijing
• Dallas
• Houston
• London
• New York
• Research Triangle Park
• The Woodlands
• Washington, DC