Breaking New Ground: Michael Kim on Building a Global Law Firm from the Ground Up

November 3, 2025

Publication: Direito de Resposta

Michael Kim was recently featured on Direito de Resposta, a Brazilian podcast airing its first-ever English-language episode.

In this conversation with Renato Sapiro, Michael reflects on his journey from federal prosecutor to co-founding Kobre & Kim with Steve Kobre. He shares how growing up across four continents shaped his worldview, and how challenging conventional legal norms helped build a firm that thrives in complexity.

• How rare geographic combinations and global experience shaped the firm’s cross-border litigation model
• Why building a firm around differentiated, high-stakes disputes creates outsized impact
• The importance of maintaining independence from institutional clients to preserve strategic flexibility
• How embracing innovation and rejecting conventional legal norms drives long-term success

Listen to the full interview on YouTube or Spotify.