Ed Kim, co-founder of the firm, is regularly called upon to represent and advise senior executives, boards of directors, and multinational institutions in their most serious and consequential matters.  Ed leverages his senior leadership experience at the U.S. Department of Justice and his extensive experience in private practice to represent clients in high-stakes litigation, criminal and regulatory enforcement actions, and crisis management.

Ed recently served as the Acting United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where he oversaw all litigation conducted on behalf of the United States and supervised more than 450 lawyers, investigators, and staff across the SDNY’s criminal and civil divisions.

Ed is an accomplished trial lawyer who has tried a dozen cases, supervised dozens more, and has briefed and argued numerous appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He has represented multinational companies in complex civil disputes and enforcement actions, and individuals in criminal and regulatory matters involving allegations of securities and financial fraud, antitrust violations, cryptocurrency fraud, insider trading, healthcare fraud, money laundering and FCPA violations.  He has successfully conducted numerous internal investigations.

Ed returned to KKL in March 2025 after his most recent leadership roles with the Department of Justice.  Prior to co-founding KKL in 2017, Ed served as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, twice winning the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award, as well as other distinctions.  Earlier in his career, he practiced at a major international law firm, and, before going to law school, worked as a management consultant at Bain & Company.

+ REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

• The CEO of a cryptocurrency company in an investigation being conducted by the DOJ and the CFTC.

• The CEO of a global manufacturing company in an antitrust prosecution brought by the DOJ.

• The former CEO of a publicly-traded diagnostics company in an insider trading investigation being conducted by the DOJ.

• The former CEO of a publicly-traded petrochemical company in a money laundering and FCPA prosecution brought by the DOJ.

• A former Cabinet-level public official in a money laundering and FCPA prosecution that was tried by the DOJ.

• The CEO of a global food company in an internal investigation.

• The CEO of an investment firm in an insider trading investigation by the DOJ and the SEC.

• The CEO of a global technology company in a False Claims Act investigation by the DOJ.

• A senior government official in an investigation by the New York State Office of the Attorney General.

• A global petrochemical company in an internal investigation.

• The CEO of the investment bank of a global financial services company in an investigation by the SEC and the CFTC.

• A hedge fund founder in an insider trading investigation being conducted by the DOJ and the SEC.

• A FinTech executive in a cryptocurrency investigation being conducted by the SEC.

• A bank executive in an antitrust investigation being conducted by the DOJ.

• A cryptocurrency exchange executive in a commodities fraud investigation being conducted by the DOJ and the CFTC.

• A biopharmaceutical researcher in a multi-jurisdictional trade secrets dispute.

• A biopharmaceutical technology company involved in potential criminal and civil litigation arising from suspected theft of trade secrets.

• A hedge fund in a multi-million dollar employment dispute.

• Researchers in a False Claims Act investigation being conducted by the DOJ.

• A hedge fund in an FCPA prosecution being conducted by the DOJ.

• An individual in parallel criminal/forfeiture proceedings initiated by Taiwanese authorities.

• A former bank executive in a securities fraud and wire fraud prosecution being conducted by the DOJ.

• The CFO of a marketing company in a wire fraud investigation being conducted by the DOJ.

• A former executive of a publicly-traded technology company in a disclosure investigation being conducted by the DOJ and the SEC.

• An insurance holding company in a foreign exchange rate investigation being conducted by the DOJ.

• The CEO of a defense contractor in connection with an internal investigation related to potential False Claims Act violations.

• An individual in an insider trading and hacking investigation being conducted by the DOJ and the SEC.

• A company executive in a Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise investigation being conducted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

+ PUBLICATIONS AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

• “Cryptocurrency: Emerging Issues and Enforcement Trends” (PLI White Collar Crime 2022: Prosecutors and Regulators Speak, September 12, 2022)

• “Cryptocurrency: Entering a New World of Regulations and Enforcement” (ABA White Collar Conference, March 3, 2022)

• "Cryptocurrency – Virtual Assets, Real Enforcement Issues” (Cambridge Forums, October 4, 2021)

• “New Options for Foreign Defendants Facing U.S. Charges” (KKL Alerts, September 27, 2021)

• “U.S. Authorities Double Down on SPAC-Related Investigations” (KKL Alerts, August 20, 2021)

• “Cryptocurrency Enforcement Trends” (ABA International Criminal Law Committee, July 27, 2021)

• “TechLaw Institute 2020: The Digital Evolution” (Practising Law Institute (PLI), March 25, 2021)

• “The Global Reach Of The DOJ: Investigative Tools And Statutes Applied In Cross-Border Investigations” (New York State Bar Association, February 11, 2021)

• “IPO 2.0: Emerging Enforcement Trends for SPACs” (KKL Alerts, January 5, 2021)

• “RMBS Redux? Navigating the Impending CLO Crisis” (KKL Alerts, July 2, 2020)

• International Forum on Private Client Enforcement (Cambridge Forums, February 10, 2020)

• “Anatomy of an Internal Investigation” (Thomson Reuters, January 15, 2020)

• Forum on Investigations & Enforcement in APAC (Cambridge Forums, December 5, 2019)

• “What the DOJ’s China Initiative Means for White Collar Prosecutions” (2019 National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Convention, November 7, 2019)

• “Perils Facing Chinese Scientists and Technology Professionals in the U.S.” (Chinese Association for Science and Technology, October 5, 2019)

• “The Long Arm of the Law: What the Extra-Territorial Tools of the DOJ Mean for Asian Companies and Individuals” (New York City Bar, September 18, 2019)

• “U.S.-China Science & Technology Roundtable” (China Institute, June 27, 2019)

• “Extraterritorial Reach of U.S. Financial Laws” (International Association of Korean Lawyers, September 15, 2018)

• “Cryptocurrency Risks for Banks” (New York Bankers Association, May 8, 2018)

• “When Lawyers Need a (Criminal) Lawyer” (Practicing Law Institute, April 26, 2018)

• “Hedge Fund Association’s 2017 Global Regulatory Briefing” (Bloomberg, November 1, 2017)

• “Navigating the Shifting Landscape of Financial Crime and AML Regulations” (Bloomberg, September 27, 2017)

• “The Yates Memo Turns Two: A Survey of its Impact on Corporate Cooperation” (American Bar Association Annual Meeting in New York, August 10, 2017)

• “Cybersecurity for Law Firms: Does Size Matter?” (American Bar Association Annual Meeting in New York, August 10, 2017)

• “Cybersecurity Enforcement” (Practicing Law Institute, May 12, 2017)

 

Edward Y. Kim

Attorney

212.970.5848

Edward.Kim@KKLllp.com

vCard | LinkedIn

EDUCATION:

J.D., Harvard Law School
cum laude

A.B., Brown University
magna cum laude
Phi Beta Kappa

CLERKSHIPS:

Hon. Naomi Reice Buchwald, U.S. District Court, SDNY

GOVERNMENT SERVICE:

Acting U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, SDNY

Deputy U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, SDNY

Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, SDNY

  • Chief, Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit

  • Chief, General Crimes Unit

ADMISSIONS:

New York

U.S. District Court, SDNY

U.S. District Court, EDNY

U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit