Speaker Bio

John Kim serves as Associate General Counsel at Edward Jones where he counsels on labor and employment matters.  Previously, John worked as in-house counsel at State Farm, and was in private practice in Central Illinois. He received his J.D. from the American University’s Washington College of Law and a B.A. from Wheaton College (IL). Before attending law school, John worked as a refugee and asylee caseworker in Nairobi, Kenya, and for a faith-based organization in Washington, D.C. 

John is active in legal organizations at the national, state, and local levels. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Law Foundation. He also serves on the state-wide boards of legal services providers Prairie State Legal Services and the Immigration Project.  As a member of the McLean County Bar Association, he serves on the Underwood Committee on Professionalism.  In his community, John is a long-time volunteer at the only free and charitable clinic in McLean County, the Community Health Care Clinic. Also, he serves on the board of the Children’s Discovery Museum Foundation. 

John joined the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism in 2019. He was appointed Vice-Chair in 2022 and Chair in 2024.