Gordon Kaplan is a member of the bar in California, Illinois and Washington, D.C. His experience includes being vice president and general counsel of international companies in the finance and mining industries, and a partner in a US international law firm with offices in New York and London specializing in corporate, financial and tax law.

Kaplan received his BA and law degree from the University of Illinois, and continued his post-graduate legal education at George Wahington University and University College London. Before entering law practice, Kaplan was a Foreign Service Officer with the State Department in which he represented US interests at embassies in Senegal, Mauritania and Belgium. In Washington, Kaplan advised on negotiating international agreements for world trade in coffee, sugar and cocoa. Kaplan is a published author in leading newspapers and law journals on legal issues in international trade and finance. He is fluent in French.

Kaplan is the originator, co-founder and was general counsel of business start-up that successfully launched and operates a radio-electronics system for locating, tracking, and recovering stolen vehicles. The company went public three years after its launch with a market capitalization of over $100 million.

Kaplan was vice president and general counsel for a consortium of international aluminum companies in mining joint ventures with the Repbulic of Guinea in West Africa. Negotiated and closed over $250 million in financing from the African Development Bank and commercial banks for infrastructure projects and expansion of mining operations. Chief negotiator for consortium on joint-venture policy committee with senior officials of the Guinean government.

Kaplan was lead counsel for the $185 million acquisition and refinancing of the Raleigh bicycle businesses worldwide; $365 million in private placements for US corporations with institutional investors in Europe; $600 million acquisition by US commercial bank of United Kingdom consumer finance and home mortgage business.

Kaplan was vice president and general counsel for a division of Citicorp in pioneering Citicorp's leasing and equipment finance activities in Europe. He completed over $500 million in cross-border financing for vendor lease programs and for industrial plant, ships, aircraft and other items of capital equipment.