June 30, 2006

THE DAILY JOURNAL

By Drew Combs

LOS ANGELES – Seong H. Kim, a partner at Christensen, Glaser, Fink, Jacobs, Weil Shapiro, said Thursday he is leaving the firm to join Steptoe Johnson’s newly opened West Los Angeles outpost.

Kim said he decided to make the lateral move “because they have a great international platform and deep bench of trial lawyers.”

Kim’s decision to leave 100-attorney Christensen Glaser, where he has practiced for the past 11 years, was “absolutely” not related to the federal indictments handed down earlier this year against firm managing partner Terry N. Christensen, he said.

Kim said Steptoe Johnson’s resources will allow him to expand his litigation practice, which includes several Asian and South American companies.

In the past, Kim has been involved in cases such as one dealing with rights of minority shareholders.

Kim declined to name any clients that would accompany him to Steptoe Johnson.

“All those details have not been worked out,” he said, “but I am sure the firm and I will work with each other.”

He added, “the firm and I have always gotten along really well, and I don’t expect that to be any different in this situation.”

Christensen Glaser name partner Patricia Glaser agreed the departure was free of any animosity and predicted a smooth transition for Kim and the firm.

“This may be a great opportunity for him, and I personally wish him the all the best in the world, and I am sure that everyone else at the firm feels the same way,” Glaser said.

Kim becomes the first lateral addition to Steptoe Johnson’s Century City office, following last week’s announcement that four partners at Santa Monica-based Alschuler Grossman Stein Kahan would leave to establish the office. Legal recruiters Watanabe Nason Seltzer brokered all the moves.

Steptoe Johnson already has 20 lawyers working out of an office in downtown Los Angeles.

Steptoe Johnson is a Washington, D.C.-based firm with 400 attorneys practicing at offices in four domestic and two international cities.

The firm’s managing partner, Roger Warin, has said it opened a second Los Angeles office in an effort to become a more attractive lateral destination for lawyers based in West Los Angeles.

With the addition of Kim, Steptoe Johnson already has lured five partners from Alschuler Grossman and Christensen Glaser, two well-established Westside firms.

But in recent months, both firms have been plagued by rumors questioning their long-term health, although for different reasons.

Since the federal indictment of Terry Christensen related to the Anthony Pellicano investigation, industry observers have said the firm’s ability to generate business would be hampered and could lead to a mass exodus.

So far, former name partner Louis R. “Skip” Miller has been the only high-profile defection.

Since the failure of reported merger talks with Robins, Kaplan, Miller Ciresi, Alschuler Grossman has dealt with speculation about internal strife and the absence of a long-term strategy.

Over the past year, the firm has lost some partners but also has been a lateral destination for several partners.

Warin has said Steptoe Johnson’s mid- to long-term strategy includes filling its Century City office, which has space for 40 lawyers.