An Executive Interview with Danny Kim

Tell us a little about Nixon Peabody?
Nixon Peabody is a full service law firm with 17 offices across the U.S., Europe and Asia. We have approximately 650 lawyers. Offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco make up our California presence.

What motivated you to make the move?
I was looking for a platform to expand my public finance practice.  Nixon Peabody has a strong presence in both northern and southern California, which was very intriguing to me.  In addition, Nixon Peabody’s culture strongly encourages teamwork and collaboration as a way to provide the best service to its clients. That’s in line with what I believe, and I like being surrounded by people who share that philosophy.

What will your new roles and responsibilities include as their new Public Finance Partner?
As I understand better our capabilities and long-term strategy, I hope to mentor younger attorneys and provide guidance on where the practice area should be headed.

How does your educational background and work experience help you fulfill your new role?
Prior to attending law school, I was an auditor at Deloitte.  My CPA background and post-undergraduate career are a tremendous asset, as I am always dealing with financial matters.

When you’re not busy working, how do you like to spend your time? What hobbies do you have?
Recently, I started playing ice hockey. I still love playing basketball, but there is something very fluid and unique about skating. I now have a deeper appreciation for what professional hockey players are doing on the ice. I also like to play a little Chopin on the piano. There isn’t enough time in the day to fit in all that I enjoy!

If you were going to teach a college course, what course would you teach?
I would like to teach communications. I believe that no matter what you do in life, it’s very important to be a good communicator. If my client doesn’t understand what I’m trying to convey, then I’ve failed, so I’m always trying to look at my communication style from the client’s perspective.

If you could work on solving any problem in the world, what one problem would it be?
I believe local homelessness is a huge problem that we need to tackle as a community.  Yes, there are greater issues on a global scale, but those issues aren’t as tangible as our own local homelessness problem. When you drive through skid row in downtown Los Angeles, it’s hard to believe the magnitude of the problem. There is great hope, because the goal doesn’t have to be 100% success. Any decrease in homelessness is a victory.