Title: Of Counsel
Firm: Ballard Spahr LLP
Age: 36
Stephanie Kim packs a full legal toolbox for her role as of counsel in the Washington, D.C., office of Ballard Spahr.
Since moving from the Atlanta branch in 2018, her accomplishments include serving as bond counsel for the District of Columbia for a large charter school, various cultural and nonprofit organizations, affordable housing transactions for Freddie Mac, tax-exempt loan financings, and complex secondary market credit enhancement transactions.
Her roles on municipal bond financings include bond counsel, lender’s counsel, underwriter’s counsel, borrower’s counsel, and trustee’s counsel.
The variety of Stephanie’s assignments is part of the appeal.
“I love that every deal is a little different and there is something to be learned from each one,” she said. “I’ve been fortunate to have worked with some great people along the way, both on the law firm side and client side.”
Stephanie’s problem-solving abilities extend across borders as she is fluent in understanding cultural norms in the U.S. and Korea. One of her notable assignments was serving as bond counsel on a $300 million transaction with Kumho Tires, a Korean firm financing a manufacturing plant in Georgia.
“Differences in primary language used among deal participants add an additional layer of complexity,” she said. “This means being able to understand the issues and needs in multiple languages and being mindful of cultural differences so that things don’t get lost in translation.”
Stephanie unwinds by exploring neighborhood restaurants and cafes. She’s a graduate of the University of Michigan and received her law degree from Emory University.
She’s a member of the American Bar Association, the National Association of Bond Lawyers, and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.