Heili Kim served as foreign legal consultant at Kim & Chang, South Korea’s largest law firm
Washington, DC (February 3, 2014) – In a noteworthy boost to its food and drug regulatory practice, Venable LLP announced that Heili Kim, a former regulatory counsel at the Food & Drug Administration with international experience in a number of key sectors, has joined the firm as Counsel in the Washington office.
Ms. Kim comes to Venable from Kim & Chang, the largest law firm in South Korea, where she worked as a legal consultant advising major pharmaceutical, medical device and food companies in regulatory compliance and product development matters. That includes introduction of products into the South Korean market.
Ms. Kim regularly counseled multinational drug and food corporations in navigating the burgeoning South Korean market. She advised clients on product approval and pricing, compliance, post-marketing requirements, competition and anti-corruption laws, and government relations.
Ms. Kim previously worked in private practice for several Washington, DC law firms, and served as regulatory counsel for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. At the FDA, she drafted regulations on food and nutrition policy as well as coordinated regulation and policy initiatives with other government agencies.
Venable boasts one of the nation’s elite food and drug groups, representing many top pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, along with market-leading supplement producers and marketers of branded foods, drugs and cosmetics. The firm’s attorneys work on substantial FDA, USDA and FTC regulatory matters, including investigations, prosecutions and enforcement actions.
The FDA group is complemented by one of the nation’s preeminent advertising law practices, which advises a host of food and dietary supplement producers and the companies that market them.
“Heili Kim brings an outstanding combination of U.S. and international experience in food and drug regulatory law and compliance. Her knowledge of the broad regulatory landscape for global marketers will give our clients valuable insight and guidance,” said Todd Harrison, who chairs Venable’s Food and Drug practice.
Mr. Harrison noted Ms. Kim’s experience in South Korea and Asia as a timely value-add to Venable clients targeting Pacific Rim markets, as well as Asia-based companies bringing new consumer products into the U.S. “Food and drug regulatory concerns have become a huge and serious concern across Asia – in light of major contaminations of the food supply, affecting many global brands,” Mr. Harrison said. “At the same time, more and more foods and pharmaceutical goods reaching U.S. consumers are originating in Asia. On both sides of the equation, Heili’s extensive FDA background and her experience in South Korea translate into major assets for our broad client base. We are excited about her addition to our group.”
Ms. Kim commented on her move: “Venable has a well-deserved reputation for excellence in its FDA and advertising law practices, where so much of my work is based. I’ve known many of the firm’s attorneys, including Todd Harrison and Claudia Lewis, for many years. And Venable has shown extraordinary growth in its consumer goods practice in recent years. The firm is a key destination for any company seeking help navigating the challenges facing the global food and drug marketplace. I could not have chosen a better home than Venable in returning to practice in the U.S.”
Ms. Kim earned her J.D. from Washington College of Law at American University, her M.P.H. from University of California, Los Angeles and her B.A. from the University of California, Riverside.
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