Porter Wright is proud to announce that partner Katja Garvey has been appointed Honorary Consul to the Federal Republic of Germany in Columbus, Ohio. She was sworn in at the firm this evening by the German Consul General in Chicago, Michael Ahrens.

“When we decided to open a new honorary consul position in Columbus, we were so lucky to have found Katja who is the perfect candidate for this meaningful position and is working in an environment that is 100% supportive of her new role,” shared Mr. Ahrens.

“We are excited for Katja to take on this official representative role for her native country,” shared Deb Boiarsky, chief operating partner at Porter Wright. “This is an invaluable opportunity for her to serve other Germans living in or visiting the state, and represent the Federal Republic of Germany throughout Central Ohio.”

As honorary consul, Katja will help promote German-U.S. relations throughout the Central Ohio region, and assist U.S. and German citizens in various legal and consular issues related to Germany. She will be a volunteer, serving as a well-connected contact point with an intimate knowledge of conditions in the state to thus provide valuable assistance, particularly with German passports and notarizations or in emergency situations. Katja will join two other honorary consuls in Ohio, one in Cleveland and one in Cincinnati. 

About Katja Garvey
Katja chairs Porter Wright’s International Business & Trade Practice Group where she serves clients in a range of privacy and international business matters, from complex international transactions to global privacy compliance and technology agreements. She often works with German companies as they are establishing their business in the U.S. or advises on existing U.S. operations from a commercial, corporate or privacy perspective. 

In addition to her new honorary consul role, Katja is a National Representative for the United States for the International Association of Young Lawyers (AIJA) and a board member for the German-American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest. She completed her law degree at the Universität Passau in Germany and her LL.M. at The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law.