Sumy Kim

Overview

Sumy Kim is a skilled litigator who defends employers and other clients faced with discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation, and wage and hour claims. Her litigation philosophy combines aggressive advocacy with keeping clients well-informed throughout the dispute resolution process in order to make difficult business decisions. She navigates California's uniquely complex employment landscape with precision, having successfully litigated class and PAGA wage-hour disputes that threatened eight-figure exposure. Her early strategic discovery and motion practices have secured favorable results for clients across industries ranging from healthcare to technology.

Prior to her career in defense, Sumy served as a plaintiff-side civil litigator, where she primarily litigated employment disputes. This experience provides her clients with unmatched insight into opposing counsel's playbook. She leverages this perspective to anticipate plaintiff strategies in California's employee-friendly courts. Her dual-perspective approach has proven especially valuable in employment-related actions, where procedural nuances can often determine case outcomes.

Sumy's preventative counsel helps employers navigate California's ever-shifting employment regulations before problems arise. She advises on compliance best practices tailored to specific industries, identifying vulnerabilities in meal period policies, independent contractor classifications, and exempt status determinations. Her practical, business-minded approach to problem-solving resonates with clients who appreciate her ability to translate legal complexities into actionable guidance. Executives particularly value her straightforward risk assessments and willingness to make definitive recommendations rather than hedging with legal equivocations.

Experience

• Prior to discovery, the plaintiff made a $3.2M demand in a retaliation and sex harassment complaint against a grocery chain at mediation, wherein a third-party investigator hired by the employer confirmed retaliation by HR, resulting in a strategic 998 offer and effective discovery tactics and deposition where the plaintiff settled for a nominal/nuisance number taking home $25,000

Honors

• Ones to Watch – Labor and Employment Law-Management, The Best Lawyers in America, 2026
• Ones to Watch – Labor and Employment Law-Management, The Best Lawyers in America, 2023

News

Community

Sumy earned the President's Volunteer Award from AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism in the United States, connecting over 200,000 Americans annually with non-profits, schools, and community organizations to address critical needs like education, poverty, and disaster response. Members serve for 10 to12 months, receiving a living stipend, training, and an education award.