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Senior Foreign Attorney

William KIM

Labor · Employment Litigation

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William Kim is a senior foreign attorney and member of the Labor & Employment Group. Mr. Kim is experienced in advising foreign clients in all matters related to employment and labor, including but not limited to, employment contracts and other documents, changes to work rules, sexual harassment investigations, employment discrimination, general compliance matters, employee discipline and terminations, layoffs, wage and hours, leaves, severance pay, pension and benefit, non-competition, employee privacy, temporary or dispatched worker, unjust labor practice, labor unions relations, employee transfers, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate restructuring. Mr. Kim advised foreign clients to also navigate the complex employment/labor-related litigations in Korea.
Prior to joining Lee & Ko, Mr. Kim served as a corporate in-house counsel for Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI). At HHI, Mr. Kim assisted in protecting the company's legal interests throughout all phases of its multi-billion-dollar construction projects in the Middle East, advising on local content laws, EPC terms and conditions, joint-venture negotiations, and international commercial disputes.
In the U.S., Mr. Kim worked as an associate at Bryan Cave, LLP as part of its Tax and Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Groups. His experience covers issues involving international/cross-border employee stock options, ERISA litigation, and Section 409A compliance.
During his law school education, Mr. Kim was a judicial clerk for the Honorable Edward W. Sweeney of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri (St. Louis), and a Rule-13 assistant at the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office. Mr. Kim has also served as an executive board editor for the Washington University Global Studies Law Review.
Mr. Kim is admitted to the New York State Bar.
Representative Cases
Assisted in litigations, hearings, investigations, and settlements before the Korean Labor Relations Commission.
Represented a Fortune 500 manufacturer of motion and control technologies in a cross-border internal investigation of potential FCPA and internal policies violations, and conducted employee interviews
Assisted (e.g., depositions, documentation reviews, memorandums) in the defense of a global insurance provider against 
criminal charges including misappropriation of personal information, public offi
Conducted internal investigations for a worldwide insurance corporation and a global software devices/services company regarding claims of sexual harassment filed internally against its executives or
Assisted a British multinational insurance provider in the termination of its Asia-Pacific Regional HR Manager, conducting 
employee interviews in both Korean and English and drafting subsequent docum
Advised a US international healthcare company and a global logistics company during collective bargaining negotiations (e.g., time frame, negotiation bargaining chips, and anticipated demands and resp
Performed due diligence analyses for multiple international asset purchase deals and business transfers and advised the client 
representatives on both the legally required and practical steps for suc
Drafted employment rules, employment contracts, benefits summaries, separation agreements, and other employment-related 
materials to be used as global templates for multinational corporations in the
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Education
2013 Washington University in St. Louis School of Law LL.M. in Taxation
2012 Washington University in St. Louis School of Law J.D.
2006 Cornell University - B.S. (Operations Research & Industrial Engineering)
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Work Experience
2013-Present Lee & Ko
2013 Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.
2012 Bryan Cave LLP
2011 St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office
2010-2011 22nd Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri (St. Louis) - Judicial clerk for the Honorable Edward W. Sweeney
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Admissions
2012 Admitted to bar, New York
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Languages
Korean and English
Awards and Recognitions
2024 Rising Star - Asialaw 2024, Labour and Employment
2024 Future Star - Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific 2024, Labour and Employment
2024 Next generation Partners - Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2024 , Labour and Employment
2024 Band 4 - Chambers Asia Pacific 2024 , Employment
2023 Korea Top 10 Influential HR Lawyers of 2023 – Business Today
2023 Rising Star - Asialaw 2023, Labour and Employment
2023 Future Star - Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific 2023, Labour and Employment
2023 Next generation Partners - Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2023 , Labour and Employment
2023 Up and Coming – Chambers Asia Pacific 2023, Employment
2022 Next generation Partners – Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2022, Labour and Employment
2022 Up and Coming – Chambers Asia Pacific 2022, Employment
2020 Rising Star Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2020 edition, Labour and Employment
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Publications / Presentations / ETC
Legal 500 Employment Law Guide for Korea Chapter (2023), Author
Chambers and Partners Trends and Development (Employment, 2023), Author/Contributor
World Justice Project Rule of Law Index (2023), Author/Contribution – Employment Law
Legal 500 Employment Law Guide for Korea Chapter (2022), Author
Chambers and Partners Trends and Developments (Employment, 2021), Author
Legal 500 Employment Law Guide for Korea Chapter (2021), Author
“Greater Reforms for Promoting Work-life Balance - Changes to the Gender Equal Employment,” Legal 500 (2019)
“Greater Reforms for Promoting Work-life Balance,” International Law Office, (November 2019)
“Changes to Labour Standards Act: National Assembly passes new bill to curb working hours” (International Law Office, (2018)
“Breaking Down the Just-Cause Barrier: A Systematic Approach of Securing Greater Flexibility in Managing Poor Performing Employees,” Legal 500 (August 2016)
Korea Business Leaders Alliance Seminar (2018), “Upcoming Changes on Dispatch Worker Laws”
AMCHAM Human Resources Committee Meeting (2017)
Korea Business Leaders Alliance Seminar (October 13, 2016), “Hiring & Dismissing Key Personnel”
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