David K. S. Kim Esq. - Manhasset, NY
Attorney at Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli & Pratt, P.A.
Immigration Lawyers in Manhasset, NY
1129 Northern Blvd. Suite 404 Manhasset, NY 11030
- Free Consultation
Manhasset Immigration Lawyer
Updated: 03/16/2026
Areas of Practice
- Immigration
Attorney Information
Overview
David Kwang Soo Kim (David K. S. Kim) is the managing partner of the firm’s New York office. He is a former United States Immigration Judge who served in that capacity for three years from 2022 to 2025. As an Immigration Judge, he adjudicated thousands of cases in removal proceedings at the 26 Federal Plaza New York City Immigration Court known to be the nation’s largest Immigration Court in terms of number of judges and docket size.
Mr. Kim recently joined the firm shortly after serving as an Immigration Judge in September 2025. Partnering with the firm’s Co-Founder, Ira J. Kurzban, Esq., the nation’s leading figure in immigration law, and joining a team of outstanding partners and attorneys who are also leaders in their field, Mr. Kim brings to the firm even greater synergy to further bolster the firm’s already outstanding reputation in the legal community and exceptional services to its clients. Having litigated and adjudicated some of the most complex issues involving immigration and nationality law, he brings to the firm 25 years of professional experience in both public and private sector. Mr. Kim concentrates in all areas of immigration and nationality law, including employment and family based immigrant and nonimmigrant petitions and visas, removal defense, and federal court litigation.
While in private practice prior to his judgeship, for more than two decades, he successfully litigated most complex cases involving immigration and nationality law before various government agencies, Immigration Courts, Board of Immigration Appeals, United States District Courts, and United States Courts of Appeals throughout the country in various jurisdictions. Some of these cases he litigated became precedential decisions of federal district and circuit courts involving issues of first impression in immigration law. From 2011 to 2022, Mr. Kim managed a successful boutique immigration law firm, Law Office of David K. S. Kim, P.C. in Flushing, New York. From 2006 to 2011, he was a Senior Associate of Bretz & Coven, LL, in New York City. From 2003 to 2006, he was an associate attorney at Kurzban, Kurzban, Weinger & Tetzeli, P.A. From 2001 to 2003, he served as a Staff Attorney Judicial Law Clerk at the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Mr. Kim earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1990 from Emory University where he was a United Methodist Scholar, a Master of Public Administration in 1997 from West Virginia University where he was a HERF Meritorious Scholar, and a Juris Doctor in 2001 from Brooklyn Law School where he served as an Articles Editor of Journal of Law and Policy. Mr. Kim is admitted to the bar of the State of New York, United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth and Eleven Circuits, and the United States Supreme Court.
While in private practice, Mr. Kim was a frequent speaker at national and local immigration law conferences for attorneys. In addition, he was often sought by local, national, and international media as an expert and commentator analyzing immigration and nationality law issues. Before he became an Immigration Judge, based on peer reviews, Mr. Kim was included in the publications, Super Lawyers New York Metro as one of the top attorneys in New York metro area and Martindale-Hubbell with AV rating, which indicates the highest level of legal ability & ethics, in the field of immigration law.
Education
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Legal Education
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Brooklyn Law School,
Brooklyn,
New York, 2001
J.D.
Honors: Articles Editor, Journal of Law & Policy
Honors: Best Brief & Second Place, Thomas Tang Moot Court Competition, Northeast Regional, Rutgers Law School, Newark, NJ
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Brooklyn Law School,
Brooklyn,
New York, 2001
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Non Legal Education
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Emory University, 1990
B.A.
Honors: United Methodist Scholar
Major: Physics & Philosophy -
West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, 1997
M.P.A.
Honors: Best Teaching Assistant of the Year, Eberly College of Arts & Sciences
Honors: HERF Meritorious Scholar
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Emory University, 1990
Current Employment Position(s)
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Managing Partner
Languages
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English
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Korean
Classes and Seminars
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Speaker, Everything You Wanted to Know About H-1, L-1, E-1 and E-2 and other Employment- based Nonimmigrant Visas, Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the U.S.A. (October 2006)
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Speaker, Impact of Immigration Fraud on You and Your Family and How to Avoid It, 1ST ANNUAL IMMIGRATION LAW SEMINAR FOR THE PUBLIC, Korean American Association of Greater New York/Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York, Open Village Townhall, Flushing, NY (Sept 2007
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Panelist, Federal Court Panel, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) New York Chapter Monthly CLE (Jan. 2007)
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Panelist, Federal Court Litigation Panel, 2007 AILA Annual New York Chapter Immigration Symposium (Dec. 2007)
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Panelist, Life in the Second Circuit-Navigating their Rules and Procedures, AILA New York Chapter Monthly CLE (Jan. 7, 2008)
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Panelist, The Nuts & Bolts of Filing Mandamus Complaints on Adjudication Delays and Petitions for De Novo Review on Naturalization Denials: A Simple Guide, AILA New York Chapter Monthly CLE (Apr. 15, 2008)
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Panel Leader, The Overview of Inadmissibility and Deportability Defenses, 2009 AILA National Conference, Las Vegas, NV (June 5, 2009)
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Moderator/Panelist, Second Circuit Practice: Updated Rules, Brief Writing, Oral Argument, and Motions for Stays, AILA New York Chapter Monthly CLE (Jan. 2010)
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Panel Leader, Federal Court “Nuts and Bolts” for the Immigration Practitioner, 2010 AILA National Conference, National Harbor, MD (July 2010)
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Instructor/Speaker, Procedures for Applying for Asylum, Withholding of Removal and Convention Against Torture, New York City Immigrant Advocacy Initiative Training Session for Attorneys, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, NYC (Nov. 2010)
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Speaker, Mock Adjustment and Stokes Interviews, AILA New York Chapter Monthly CLE (Feb. 2017)
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Panelist, Fearless Lawyering: Motions Practice in Immigration Court, 2017 AILA Annual New York Chapter Immigration Symposium (Dec. 15, 2017)
- Panelist, Nuts and Bolts: Defensive Relief before the Immigration Court and Affirmative Asylum Relief, AILA New York Chapter Monthly CLE (Mar. 15, 2018)
Representative Cases
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Sharkey v. Quarantillo, 541 F.3d 75 (2d Cir. 2008)
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Shi Jie Ge v. Holder, 588 F.3d 90 (2d Cir. 2009)
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Galluzzo v. Holder, 633 F.3d 111 (2d Cir. 2011)
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Accardo v. Atty. Gen., 634 F.3d 1333 (11th Cir. 2011)
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Flores v. United States, 142 F.Supp.3d 279 (E.D.N.Y. 2015)
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Flores v. United States, 108 F. Supp. 3d 126 (E.D.N.Y. 2015)
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Jang v. Garland, 33 F.4th 154 (2d Cir. 2022)
Published Works
Articles
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Book Chapter, Reviving Health Care Workers’ Adjustment of Status Denials By USCIS in Removal Proceedings through the Golden Rule of Immigration Litigation, Litigation Strategies for Immigration Issues: Leading Lawyers on Successfully Navigating Changes in US Enforcement Practices and Building a Strong Case (Inside the Minds)
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Federal Court “Nuts and Bolts” for the Immigration Practitioner, IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY (American Immigration Lawyers Association 2011)
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INA § 212(d)(3) Nonimmigrant Visa Waiver, NAVIGATING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF (American Immigration Lawyers Association 2010)
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Procedures for Applying for Asylum, Withholding of Removal (“WHR”) and Convention Against Torture (New York City Immigrant Advocacy Initiative 2010)
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Avoidance of Manifest Injustice in Second Circuit – When Will the Court Exercise Jurisdiction of Heart? (American Immigration Lawyers Association 2007)
Bar Admissions
- New York, 2002
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of New York, 2002
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court Southern District of New York, 2002
- U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit, 2005
- U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit, 2007
- U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit, 2016
- U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 2018
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 2007
- U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, 2005
- U.S. Supreme Court, 2012
Other Affiliations
- American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
- Asian American Bar Association of New York
- Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York (KALAGNY)
- National Pacific and Asian American Bar Association (NAPABA), Member
Photo
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