Wookie Kim

Wookie Kim is the Legal Director at the ACLU of Hawaiʻi, where he works to defend civil rights and civil liberties through litigation, lobbying, and community advocacy.1 He focuses on issues such as criminalization of poverty, police misconduct, bail reform, reproductive freedom, gender equity, mass incarceration, and freedom of expression.1

Prior to his current role, Kim served as a Staff Attorney at the ACLU of Hawaii from February 2018 to January 2021.2 He was appointed as the Legal Director in February 2021.3 Before joining the ACLU, Kim worked as an associate at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP in Washington, D.C., where he litigated high-stakes business disputes and maintained an active pro bono practice.1

Kim's educational background includes:

• B.A. in Ethics, Politics and Economics from Yale University
• J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Board of Student Advisers and a finalist in the Ames Moot Court Competition1

After law school, he clerked for the Honorable Catherine C. Blake of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.1 In addition to his ACLU work, Kim is a Lecturer in Law at the William S. Richardson School of Law, teaching first-year legal writing.15

Outside of his professional life, Kim is an avid trail runner who trains for and competes in 100-mile races.14