In this episode of Jackson Walker Fast Takes, host ⁠Courtney White⁠ welcomes healthcare partner ⁠Phil Kim⁠ for an Asian American and Pacific Islander Month conversation. Phil reflects on his journey from growing up in Houston to joining Jackson Walker, sharing how early exposure to the business side of healthcare, mentorship, his academic experiences, and cultural background and family shaped his path into healthcare law.

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Our Host:		Episode Guest:
Courtney White Research Attorney, Dallas & Houston Follow on LinkedIn » Instagram: @courthousecouture		Phil Kim Healthcare Partner, Dallas Follow on LinkedIn »

Episode Transcription

Courtney White: Hi everyone. I am Courtney White and this is Jackson Walker Fast Takes. Jackson Walker deeply values various cultures and cultural experiences. And Jackson Walker is extremely proud of our Asian American attorneys and allied professionals who have provided leadership and helped shape our firm into what it is today. I asked one of my colleagues to join this episode. Phil Kim is a healthcare partner in the Dallas office. Phil, welcome to the podcast.

Phil Kim: Thanks, Courtney.

Courtney White: So Phil, I’d just love to learn a little bit more about you. I know you’re a healthcare partner, you’re new to the firm. Could you just tell us a little bit of your story?

Phil Kim: So I joined Jackson Walker recently. I’m a native Texan born and raised in Houston.

Courtney White: We love that.

Phil Kim: But like a lot of people say, as Texans, if you weren’t born here, you got here as fast as you could. I feel like that may be my story with how I got to Jackson Walker. I have always practiced in the healthcare industry, having really come up from the very beginning as a baby lawyer working in this industry and then focusing on the transactional regulatory space within healthcare. So I went to law school without really knowing, anything about the law, of course, not having any friends, family, friends, acquaintances, even who had gone to law school. So I really had no idea what I was getting myself into, but based on what I understood or assumed lawyers to be, as far as being problem solvers or critical thinkers, I thought that’s how my brain is wired. While in college, I struggled for four years internally as to whether to go to law school or a different type of grad school. And finally, my senior year, I decided to do After graduating, I decided to take the LSAT, but in the meantime, I was also working for a physician office. And in the back office, I would work on different business issues that were not directly related to clinical care, but that was fascinating.

Courtney White: Wow, so you had some on the job experience.

Phil Kim: Yeah, that’s really my first foray into the healthcare industry. Growing up as an Asian American, my mom still to this day swears that when I was five years old, I had a dream that I told her that I wanted to be a doctor. And she held me to that for the next 13 years and she assumed that I was going to eventually go to med school. And I, worked hard in school and did what I needed to, but I realized that I did not want to major in the hard sciences. So when I went to UT for undergrad, I decided to…

Courtney White: And I won’t hold it against you that you went to UT because I went to Texas A&M

Phil Kim: And vice versa. And this is where I developed an interest in learning about the business of law as well. I took a business law course there and thought this might be something I’m interested in. When I ultimately decided to go to law school, my mom cried. Not tears of joy, but she was very disappointed that I had made that decision. But ultimately, you know, my tongue in cheek compromise to her was to become a healthcare lawyer years later.

Courtney White: I love that.

Phil Kim: But really, I mean, she had no idea what I was going to be doing or in what area I was going to be practicing, but I feel like everything happens for a reason and the way I ended up getting into this industry has been very organic and I’ve really enjoyed every part of it. So while in law school, because I had some interest in healthcare. I took with Professor Tom Mayo there who is now retired, fundamentals of health law course and I just fell in love with the topic and all of the issues that came about and I took as many courses as I could within the healthcare industry at SMU and was fortunate to land a job as a baby lawyer doing exactly that. So fast forward to I won’t say how many years but to where I am now and you know I really do feel like things happen for a reason and feel grateful every day to get to work with amazing colleagues on very sophisticated matters and issues for healthcare clients, whether it’s providers in hospitals or a lot of times digital health clients or companies who are ancillary to some of the direct healthcare providers, but all in all helping this ecosystem within an industry that arguably is very broken but is full of people wanting to do the right thing.

Courtney White: Phil, thank you so much for coming to share your story today during Asian American and Pacific Islander Month.

Phil Kim: Thank you for having me.

Courtney White: And for more information and additional JW Fast Takes podcasts and webinars, please visit JW.com/fast.

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The music is by Eve Searls.

The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the firm, its clients, or any of its or their respective affiliates. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

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Since 1887, Jackson Walker has represented some of the most influential companies and business leaders in the world. Today, we remain firmly rooted in Texas while serving clients around the globe. With more than 500 attorneys, we are the largest law firm in the state. Jackson Walker consistently ranks among leading firms in Chambers and Partners, Best Law Firms® by Best Lawyers, and as a BTI Client Service A-Team based on feedback from corporate counsel.