About the attorney and the office

Jin S. Kim has been an active member of the California State Bar since 2001.  His experience encompasses serving as an associate in a busy firm setting to his current position as principal counsel of the Law Office of Jin S. Kim.  He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley (UC Berkeley) where his major course of study was in rhetoric with a minor in philosophy.  Mr. Kim obtained his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Oregon where his concentration was in international law.  He also earned a Pro Bono Certificate from the University of Oregon School of Law.  Mr. Kim is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

In a practice area among whose inhabitants are the unlicensed and those who peddle a poor background in writing to the immigrant market, Mr. Kim takes particular care in preparing clearly drafted forms and persuasive written components to important applications.  Only attorneys perform drafting, from USCIS forms to legal briefs, at this office.  No administrative staff or non-attorney clerks are used for any document created at the office, even for the simplest of USCIS forms.

Some questions you may have about the office:

1. Where is the office?

The office is located in the heart of downtown Berkeley, at Shattuck Square, which is at the intersection of University Avenue and Shattuck Avenue.  It is located a block away from the UC Berkeley campus and the Downtown Berkeley BART station.

2. Do you have drop-in hours?

While appointments can be arranged even a day in advance, all meetings at the office must first be scheduled through a phone call or through email.  Please, call or email the office to make an appointment for a consultation.

3. Do you have weekend or evening hours?

Both weekend and evening appointments can be arranged with a few days' advance notice.  I realize that most of my clients have work or classes that take up much of their time during the week.  Evening and weekend appointments allow me to accommodate my clients' busy schedules.

4. Some attorneys have reviews posted on their websites.  Why don't I see any reviews on your site?

While I have had clients approach me to serve as references for future clients, I have declined their gracious offers.  My first concern is my clients' privacy and the confidentiality of the matters that they placed in my care.  Also, my clients have already paid me for my services, and I do not expect them to pay more through expenditures in time used to write reviews.  Some attorneys actually have their staff solicit clients to provide reviews through "interviews" conducted after an application has been approved.  I consider such practices a bit uncouth.

Frankly, reviews can be misleading.   First, even an attorney who may be losing his license through a disciplinary hearing can find one client who could provide a positive review.  Second, how could you verify a review?   Third, your matter may be significantly different than the matter that was addressed by the reviewer.  No two cases are exactly alike, and when claims are made about prior cases, the State Bar requires that attorneys provide clarification or a disclaimer. 

5. Do you specialize in serving clients from one particular country?

No.  My clients have come from all continents and their backgrounds are diverse.  Many of my clients are US citizen petitioners, both individual and corporate.  I take pride in having such a high percentage of US citizens contacting my office.  Even while many immigration attorneys must solicit immigrant communities to support their offices, I market primarily in English-language media.  I am able to communicate with those who are comfortable speaking in English and those who have begun to learn English as a second (or third) language.

While there are government petitions that only require the participation of the non-citizen, most petitions require a US petitioner's active involvment.  Communicating with the US citizen petitioner is just as important, if not more so, as communicating with the foreign beneficiary.  A common complaint in family-based immigration applications comes from the US citizen petitioner feeling "out of the loop" while the immigration attorney and the beneficiary work together on the application.  Full participation by petitioner and beneficiary is important  to the success of any petition.