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Wayne Lee Kim
About Wayne
Biography
My journey of becoming a defense attorney began in the Spring of 2002. I had already had been accepted to law school and was to start at the University of Illinois in the fall. My friend Aaron Otis and I were coaching inner city kids from the Northside of Chicago. We had the opportunity to take the kids to a Christian outreach tournament in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. One can only imagine, the look on the other teams' faces when they saw our team of hispanic and black high schoolers being coached by a Korean coach and a half-Japanese coach.
The tournament was a 2-day tournament so we had rented rooms at a motel between day 1 and day 2. After day 1, I took four of my players to eat and afterwards we were heading back to the motel. It was around 8 p.m., when a police car flashed its lights and I pulled over. All four of my players, who were all black, immediately put their hands in the air. This wasn't the first time I have been pulled over for speeding but I have never put my hands in the air when pulled over for speeding. I, thinking the kids were joking around, told the kids to put their hands back down. My kids response, "They are going to make us do it." I laughed thinking they were joking. They weren't. Sure enough, as soon as my kids dropped their hands, the police yelled through their intercom, "Everyone put your hands in the air."
Here, I was in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago with 4 players in high school returning from a Christian outreach tournament with our hands in the air. I have never been asked to put my hands in the air before on a traffic stop and never have I been asked since.
The first thing that the officer said to me was, "Why did I have to chase you for 4 miles?" I responded that I pulled over as soon as I saw his lights. His response, "You saw me 4 miles ago and you started to accelerate and I had to chase you down." My response was, "Don't you think if I saw you, I would have slowed down and if I was really running from you, why would I have stopped immediately when your lights came on."
Meanwhile, the other officer was hassling my kids for driver's licenses. None of the kids were even 16 years old and none of them had licenses. None of that information, stopped the officer from harassing my kids. As one might guess, the information that I was transporting the kids from a local Christian outreach tournament meant little to the officers.
The lessons I learned that day will stay with me as I practice law. It is what drove me to go into Criminal Defense. It is what drives me today. And yes, as you can probably guess, I did get a speeding ticket that night.
Practice Areas
2
Practice Areas
Fees and Rates
Cost
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Chat withLicenses
Licensed in Virginia for 20 years
State: Virginia
Acquired: 2005
No misconduct found
Location
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Wayne Lee Kim's Reviews
Avvo Review Score
76 Client Reviews
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Practice Areas
What Clients Mention
Case Results (64)
Advocacy (34)
Recommendation (30)
Communication Style (23)
Practice Area Knowledge (23)
Professionalism (21)
Character & Conduct (16)
Cost of Services (16)
Responsiveness (15)
General Knowledge (14)
Trustworthiness (13)
Compassion (6)
Payment Plans (1)
Punctuality (1)
Staff & Support (1)
Showing 21 - 23 of 23 reviews | Practice Area Knowledge
Posted by Sheldon | May 20, 2014 | Landlord & Tenant
Phenomenal Attorney, HIGHLY Recommend!
Wayne Kim is an extraordinary attorney. He handled my tenant-landlord case (I was the tenant). He listens, is engaging, provides strategic advice and is responsive to calls/emails. He is honest, upfront and does not lead his clients astray. If you are having tenant-landlord issues, then he is th...
Posted by Hyun | May 05, 2014 | Criminal Defense
A great lawyer, very professional
I was charged with reckless by speed (a misdemeanor in Virginia), and I hired Mr. Kim to handle my appeals process. The result speaks for itself (a very good plea deal with the prosecutor), but I'd also like to applaud Mr. Kim's professionalism throughout the process - he was always punctual in a...
Posted by anonymous | February 23, 2014
Great lawyer!!
Used Wayne for a name change. He did everything quickly and kept us informed throughout the process. He made our lives so much easier.
Wayne Lee Kim's Lawyer Endorsements
"Mr. Kim does fantastic work on behalf of his clients. He will thoroughly prepare a case, and will advocate all viable theories of defense. I wholeheartedly recommend him."
"Wayne and I once represented co-defendants, and with that experience I saw once again his high quality experience and capability for his clients. Wayne knows his way around the courthouse."
"Wayne is as good as they get in the courthouse and the courtroom. He knows how to deal with prosecutors, how to advocate for his clients, and most importantly he knows the law. I endorse this lawyer."
"Wayne is an exceptional and highly respected attorney who always represents his clients with the utmost of skill,knowledge and understanding.i can readily endorse him without hesitation or reservation."
"I worked with Mr. Kim for over six years while in the Public Defender's Office. He zealously advocates on behalf of his clients and is well versed in legal issues. He goes above and beyond in each case and I would highly recommend him to any client!"
"9 years of practicing law with 8 as a public defender is experienced plus. Knowledge of both criminal law and procedure is excellent and evident in his pro bono contributions. Client reviews are stellar. READ THEM! Do yourself a favor and schedule a consultation."
"Wayne makes himself available to aid younger attorneys, and he has the experience to back up his advice. I wholeheartedly endorse this attorney."
"I endorse this lawyer."
"I highly recommend this lawyer he is a true professional"
"I wholeheartedly endorse this lawyer. A brilliant, trustworthy and highly respected attorney in the legal community."
"I endorse this lawyer. He takes the time out of his day to answer questions by those in often very unfortunate circumstances. I applaud his efforts to help people."
"I endorse this lawyer."
"An extremely talented and well respected attorney in the legal community, I wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone looking for a lawyer who knows the law and truly cares about protecting the rights of his clients and getting them the most favorable result possible."
"I endorse this lawyer."
"Wayne is highly respected in the legal community and takes the time to give back to others."
"Wayne is a well-known and respected lawyer in the Northern Virginia area, even judges have a high regard for Mr. Kim. He is very knowledgeable and a skilled trial attorney who has handled the many serious felonies that have led to favorable outcomes. Clients can feel confident that Mr. Kim will fight hard for their rights. I highly endorse Mr. Kim as a leader in the field of criminal defense."
"I endorse Mr. Kim without any reservation - he is experienced in all criminal matters and works tirelessly but efficiently to represent his clients with the skills, insight, and abilities required to resolve complex issues while informing his clients about options and risks."
"I endorse this lawyer. Outstanding criminal defense attorney who really fights for his clients. Great reputation in the legal community."
"I endorse this lawyer."
"Top-notch attorney. Highly respected in the legal community."
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Experience
Honors
2019
Top 100 Trial Lawyers, National Trial Lawyers Association
2018
Top 100 Trial Lawyers, National Trial Lawyers Association
2017
Top 100 Trial Lawyers, National Trial Lawyers Association
2016
Top 40 Lawyers Under 40, American Society of Legal Advocates
2016
Top 100 Trial Lawyers, National Trial Lawyers Association
2016
Top 40 under 40, National Trial Lawyers Association
2015
Top 100 Trial Lawyers, National Trial Lawyers Association
2015
Top 40 under 40, National Trial Lawyers Association
2014
Top 100 Trial Lawyers, National Trial Lawyers Association
2014
Top 40 under 40, National Trials Lawyers Association
2005
CALI for Excellence in Sentencing, Center for Computer Assisted Legal Instruction
Work Experience
2023 - Present
Housing/Elder Attorney, Legal Services Of Northern Virginia
2013 - 2023
Attorney at Law, Law Office of Wayne L. Kim, P.L.L.C.
2005 - 2013
Senior Assistant Public Defender, Office Of The Public Defender
2004 - 2004
Legal Intern, Fairfax Public Defender's Office
Associations
2014 - Present
Fairfax Bar AssociationMember
2014 - Present
Asian Pacific American Bar Association of VirginiaMember
2005 - Present
Virginia State BarMember
2013 - 2015
National Association of Criminal Defense LawyersMember
Sample of Legal Cases
Assault on Officer, Distribution of Marijuana
DISCLAIMER: CASE RESULTS DEPEND UPON A VARIETY OF FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH CASE. CASE RESULTS DO NOT GUARANTEE OR PREDICT A SIMILAR RESULT IN ANY FUTURE CASE UNDERTAKEN BY A LAWYER
2 COUNTS OF ASSAULT AND BATTERY
SEE DISCLAIMER: Jury finds Defendant Not Guilty on 2 charges of Assault and Battery
Assault on Officer
DISCLAIMER: CASE RESULTS DEPEND UPON A VARIETY OF FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH CASE. CASE RESULTS DO NOT GUARANTEE OR PREDICT A SIMILAR RESULT IN ANY FUTURE CASE UNDERTAKEN BY A LAWYER
First Degree Murder Case
SEE DISCLAIMER, Successfully argued Motion to Supress, statements were suppressed and case was eventually dropped
Education
2005
University of Illinois College of Law
JD - Juris Doctor
2000
Northwestern University
BS - Bachelor of Science
Publications
2014
waynekimlaw.com
Failure to Pay Full Time and Attention in Arlington County
2011
Loudoun Times
68 vandal sentenced to probation
2008
Washington Post
Confession In Slaying Challenged
Languages
Korean
English
Activity
Legal Answers
Legal Guides
Legal Answers
Q&A
Expired safety inspection violation on car that has not been driven?
14 Jul 2020
Q&A
Is it assault?
01 Jul 2020
Q&A
What circumstances can reinstate a Courts authority to grant a petition to reconsider a sentence after the convict is in prison?
03 Jul 2020