The Law Offices of Kim T. Stephens

Kim T. Stephens was born in Quitman, Georgia and spent his early years in Morven, a small south Georgia town that even today cannot boast of a single traffic light. Kim grew up riding bicycles with his older brother, walking on railroad tracks, and collecting pecans to sell to a wholesaler for candy money. Later, his family moved to Newnan, where his father got a job as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor and his mother worked for the local Methodist church and later for the Atlanta Journal Constitution as a district manager. There, Kim and his brother attended Newnan High School. Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis kept Kim from playing football during his freshman year, but he joined Coach Bass’s football team as a sophomore. He then balanced football with other athletic commitments, 4-H, Beta Club, Key club, school musicals, and academic performance. During his senior year of high school, Kim was recruited to play football by Princeton University, the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn University, Furman University, Davidson College, and Clemson.

Kim ultimately chose to attend the University of Georgia where he started 46 games (a Bulldog record at the time) and lettered for four years on the Bulldogs’ football team receiving numerous academic and athletic honors including: team captain; NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship; Region III GTE Academic All American; Toyota Leadership Award; Football News All American; Academic All Southeastern Conference; and All Southeastern Conference. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and later a Masters Degree in Sport Management from the University of Georgia.

Kim scored in the ninety-ninth percentile on the LSAT, allowing him to attend any law school of his choosing. Kim earned his law degree from the Georgia State University College of Law, choosing this program because it allowed him to work full time to pay his way through law school. Kim was admitted to the Georgia Bar in 1993. Kim turned down job offers from large Atlanta law firms because of his desire to return to Athens—in his opinion, the best town in the South. In Athens, he worked with the largest law firm in Northeast Georgia as a litigator, handling personal injury cases, civil matters, UGA Student cases, NCAA investigations, and criminal cases around the State of Georgia, and in the Southeastern United States. He opened his own law office in 1998 and honed his craft as a trial lawyer becoming by reputation and performance one of the top criminal and civil trial attorneys in Athens and Northeast Georgia.

Kim is a member of the Georgia Bar Association, the Western Circuit Bar Association, the Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyer Association, and the National Criminal Defense Lawyer Association. He has been admitted to practice law in the Georgia Supreme Court, Georgia Court of Appeals, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Georgia. Kim was the director and representative of the Younger Lawyer Division of the State Bar of Georgia. He remains an active member of the Georgia Letterman’s Club.

Kim serves the community in a variety of ways outside his law practice. He was a State 4-H Board Volunteer Advisor and a member of the Georgia Master 4-H Club. Kim has coached numerous Little League and Youth Soccer teams and was a lay football coach at Athens Academy for seven years. Kim uses his trial skills and knowledge of the rules of evidence as the primary attorney coach for the Westminster Mock Trial Team and has assisted the team to numerous region and district titles. He is a member of the First United Methodist Church and an active member of the Athens Chamber of Commerce. Kim also contributes to Clarke County School booster clubs and participates in fundraising events for the local area public schools, including Newspapers for Education. Kim is also a member of the Sphinx Club, the oldest honorary society at the University of Georgia, which recognizes students, faculty, staff, and alumni who have made significant contributions to the University of Georgia, the State of Georgia, and the nation. The Sphinx Club is a highly selective organization, initiating less than ten members per year.

Kim is a sports fan, a history buff, and thanks to the influence of his wife—a local writer and educator—he now considers himself an avid reader and theater enthusiast. Kim currently resides in Athens with his wife, Emma, their youngest daughter, Isabelle, and occasional visits from his two adult children, Kasey and Katlin.