Profile in Inclusion
Tae Kim
Lessons in hard work and teamwork — from Korea, the kitchen, to law firm principal
Law school can teach you plenty about being an attorney, but the lessons that have fueled Tae Kim’s success as a trial lawyer and business counselor did not begin in the classroom. Instead, many of the qualities and values that make Kim so trusted by his clients and respected by his colleagues were imparted to him in the flea markets of Miami, in hectic, every-second-counts restaurant kitchens, and by experiencing life’s hardships.
“My parents immigrated from South Korea to the U.S. in the early 1980s when I was an infant, bringing very little with them beyond a relentless work ethic, entrepreneurial drive and an appreciation that the world isn’t going to hand you anything — you have to earn it,” Kim says. “And they certainly earned everything they built for our family. To this day, what I saw them have to do every day to raise my brother and me really set the foundation for how I’ve led my life and pursued my career.”
What Kim saw his parents do was work countless hours every day. Kim’s father studied English in Korea, an advantage that gave him the ability to work the graveyard shift at a convenience store in Liberty City — a less-than-desirable Miami neighborhood — where Kim’s family lived when they first moved to the U.S. Kim’s family eventually saved enough money and opened a clothing store at a flea market in Liberty City where they worked from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day except for Sunday, when they worked from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Kim notes with a smile, “When they name a version of the video game Grand Theft Auto ‘Liberty City Stories’ after a neighborhood you lived in, you know you didn’t live in the best place. But my parents worked relentlessly to save enough money to move elsewhere.”
That elsewhere was just up the road in a suburb of Ft. Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, where Kim spent the rest of his childhood.
Kim says that while he didn’t have a clear sense of what he wanted to do for a living when he went to college, he did know one thing.
“I knew that whatever direction I would take, I would need to forge the path on my own and would need to work just as hard as my parents did,” he says. “When I was in school at the University of Florida, I realized that I needed money to pay for it, lol, so I asked my friend for a job at his restaurant. That was a transformative experience for me in more ways than one. First, it’s when I started dating my wife. Second, it gave me the tools that I believe can be used to be successful in any profession.”
It was in the controlled chaos of the kitchen that Kim developed a deeply ingrained appreciation of the importance of organization, time management, preparation, collaboration, clear and responsive communication and precise execution.
“Those are all qualities that are equally essential for effectiveness as an attorney,” Kim says. “How I look at a case, how I prepare for an argument or trial, how I work with my clients and colleagues — all of that has been shaped by what I learned working in a kitchen.”
Before pursuing his legal career, Kim worked in the mortgage industry in South Florida, a booming real estate market — until it wasn’t. When the 2008 financial crisis hit, Kim knew he had to pivot, and his work with attorneys during that time made him understand how the law was often the key to getting things done, solving a problem or helping people out of tough situations. Knowing he wanted to attend law school in a major legal market, he moved to Chicago to earn his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, from which he graduated magna cum laude.
As an immigrant and a first-generation Asian American attorney, Kim sought out other lawyers from similar backgrounds who shared many of the same experiences and perspectives he did. As he embarked on his career, Kim became active in Chicago’s Asian American Bar Association (AABA) and Korean American Bar Association. He currently serves as the AABA’s 1st vice president and will assume the presidency of the organization in July of this year.
It was in these groups that Kim found mentors who provided him with guidance, support and a sense of community, as well as a calling.
“I was so fortunate to benefit from the lessons and experiences of those who came before me. The attorneys in these organizations understood the value of our shared heritage and values and how those manifested themselves in the way we practice law,” Kim says. “Having reaped the rewards of having such great mentors, I felt the call to do the same for those younger Asian American lawyers and children of immigrants who come up behind me.”
Kim’s mentoring includes many formal and informal iterations and interactions, including one that makes him particularly proud. Kim serves as coach of Loyola Law’s Thomas Tang Moot Court teams, a competition sponsored by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.
This past year, Kim led both of Loyola’s teams to the national semi-finals, where they competed against each other. The winning team advanced to the finals and ultimately captured the championship.
“It is so inspiring to see these future lawyers in action, and it is truly an honor to be a part of their journey in this way,” he says with pride. “It is also very gratifying to know how much my firm actively supports my work with these teams, contributing not only financial support but also their time, including serving as guest judges. It means a lot to me personally, as it does to the students.”
Kim’s contributions to Loyola’s moot court program helped it become the number one moot court program in the country. His efforts on behalf of the school also earned him the honor of becoming a member of its Board of Governors and receiving the Community Impact Award from Loyola’s Asian Pacific American Law Students Association.
Kim says the firm’s support extends to his other activities in the Asian American legal community, which he characterizes as indicative of Chuhak & Tecson’s broader, active commitment to celebrating diversity and fostering a welcoming, inclusive workplace.
“When I joined the firm a couple of years ago, I was struck by how much the firm invested in and approached these issues,” he recalls. “The members and leadership of the Diversity & Inclusion Council are not just attorneys; staff and attorneys all have an equal voice. This microcosm of how ingrained diversity is as a value of the firm shows that it is inclusivity defined, and it fills me with pride to be at a place where everyone’s voice is welcomed and respected.”
Kim says that the camaraderie and support that everyone at the firm feels, that sense that each person has the other’s back, and that they’re all in this together pulling in the same direction, rings familiar. “It is certainly reminiscent of the way I was raised and the lessons I learned as a cook,” Kim says. “While I wouldn’t have traded those experiences for anything, I will certainly admit to preferring the order of the courtroom over the pandemonium of the kitchen.”