About Charlie
Charlie Kim took an unconventional path to the law. He moved from undergraduate studies in religious thought into seminary training, then to a New York law school. The sequence reads like a deliberate search for frameworks that govern belief, community and public life.
He earned a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Michigan in 1994 and then completed graduate study at Princeton Theological Seminary, receiving an MIDV in 1997. He went on to New York University School of Law, where he received his J.D. in 2000. Those academic stops span the humanities, theology and legal analysis. They also suggest an interest in how institutions shape individual and collective choices.
After law school he entered private practice and rose through firm ranks to become a partner at Cooley Godward Kronish LLP. He is based in the firm's San Diego office. In that role he has taken on responsibility for supervising client matters, coordinating teams and advising on legal strategy. Colleagues describe him as steady under pressure and attentive to detail.
He is admitted to practice in New York and California, and he is also admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Those multi-jurisdictional credentials allow him to work on cases and transactions that cross state lines and sometimes implicate federal courts. He appears regularly in matters that require navigation of differing procedural rules and court practices.
Kim's background in religious studies and seminary training is an unusual foundation for a corporate and litigation practice. It shows up in how he frames problems and asks questions. He tends to look for institutional context as much as individual facts. That approach informs how he allocates resources on a file and how he prepares witnesses and documents for court or negotiation.
Outside client work he maintains ties to professional networks in both California and New York, participating in bar-related activities and local legal communities. He has taught or lectured in internal firm programs aimed at junior lawyers, sharing practical lessons about trial preparation and client communication.
He lives and practices in San Diego and represents clients in the state and federal courts where he is admitted. He currently focuses his practice on matters arising in the jurisdictions where he is licensed and on issues that require coordination across those courts.
