Steven Kim, Esq.
“Everybody deserves an opportunity to get a second chance and to live life to the fullest.”
February is the season for spreading love which is perfect timing to honor and celebrate Steven Kim, VLJ’s February 2023 Volunteer of the Month, who has a huge heart for pro bono and volunteering to ensure access to justice for people experiencing poverty. Steven is presently Vice President, Corporate Counsel at Prudential Financial where he has been for nearly six years. Steven holds a pharmacy degree from Rutgers College of Pharmacy, and he received his Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law. Steven is barred in New York and holds an in-house license in New Jersey.
As evidence of the power of the partnership between Prudential Financial and VLJ, Steven came to know VLJ through Prudential’s pro bono efforts. In fact, the VLJ Divorce Program legal clinic was his first pro bono experience at Prudential. “At first, you don’t realize just how much you’re helping someone. Many people don’t know how to manage the legal system and the support we provide is critical because in some instances, individuals are simply trying to get out of unhealthy and abusive relationships.” Fortunately for VLJ and many clients, Steven continued to answer the pro bono call not just for divorce, but also with VLJ’s Tenancy, Debt Relief Legal, and ReLeSe Programs. Steven noted that the Debt Relief clinic is great as it is different from others. He calls it the “The Forrest Gump” clinic—you don’t know what issues you are going to be dealing with, yet you find yourself using litigation, drafting, and negotiating skills. You are doing lawyerly work to help.”
At Prudential, Steven is the chair of the Expungement Clinic. When the position became vacant, Steven jumped at the chance to participate and has been in that role since June 2022. One of the reasons Steven wanted to be in the leadership role is due to the number of people who need help expunging their criminal records. Even in a state like New Jersey with progressive expungement laws, the process can be confusing and frustrating. Steven’s desire to lead Prudential’s expungement work is fueled by his philosophy that people deserve a second chance. “Everybody deserves an opportunity to get a second chance and to live life to the fullest. These little pock marks do a disservice to everyone.” Steven also noted that criminal records impact certain groups more than others. It really comes as no surprise about Steven’s passion for expungement work as he says that out of all the clinics, the ReLeSe Program’s expungement clinic is one of the best and most worthwhile. “Once you can get someone’s criminal record expunged, it is like a clean slate. Everyone deserves that.”
Pro bono is rooted in all things legal, but for Steven, pro bono is not rote administrative work, whether it is divorce, consumer debt, or expungement. There is an emotional element to it. Often, Steven finds himself meeting new clients and being reminded of the human-centeredness of it all. That feeling, that connection with another human, especially after hearing their truth, leaves Steven with an overwhelming desire to help.
When it comes to pro bono, Steven is very much a part of the “preaching to the choir” crowd. Steven mentioned he loves that volunteering with VLJ is an organized endeavor. It is not “going through the motions”, it is organized in a way that once you get into it you can actually help someone. Steven said, “You watch movies about legal aid and how it looks like a jumbled mess and how people are frustrated. VLJ is the polar opposite. You may have to do a little work, but you are doing work in a way that is setup to help someone. It is a big deal [how VLJ organizes its volunteer opportunities], certainly for people like me and especially for people with limited time. If people understood just how easy VLJ has made it to volunteer, then they would understand how much they could help in the short time they’re volunteering.”
For those debating whether to volunteer, Steven says to take the Nike approach and “just do it”. He elaborated, “You are going to come out knowing that you helped someone. There is nothing to be afraid of when helping someone. If you are worried about lack of experience, try out a clinic that you are more familiar with and get your feet wet. If you want to help people, especially as a lawyer, this is the best way to do that and to help change lives.” Once people volunteer, Steven guarantees that they are going to want to do it again. Indeed, for Steven, volunteering is a way to correct inequities in the legal system. “Fixing that inequity, you shouldn’t have a pro baseball player on the opposite team and not on your team. You can’t fight a lawyer by yourself. It’s not fair. It is about making sure that we get into fair discourse. Giving community members the tools, personnel, and ability to make sure that they can get what is rightfully theirs or prevent what is rightfully theirs from being taken away.”
While Steven considers himself a “recovering research scientist,” for VLJ, he is the embodiment of harnessing the power of pro bono, of dedicating oneself to ensuring access to justice for people experiencing poverty. For VLJ, Steven is not just a volunteer of the month, he is a volunteer who changes lives.
Thank you, Steven, for your years of selfless service and support! We are grateful to you, and we appreciate the compassion, the professionalism, and the “What more can I do?” energy you bring to helping neighbors and community members with their unmet civil legal needs.
Connect with Steven on LinkedIn