Kimberly Hamm

Kim has deep experience in congressional investigations, having served in the Office of the General Counsel in the US House of Representatives, where she advised congressional committees on legal matters related to investigations and litigated congressional subpoena disputes. She also oversaw congressional investigations across committees as a senior House leadership staffer, conducted congressional investigations as a senior Senate committee staffer, and responded to congressional inquiries while at a federal agency and later a major global financial institution. Kim counsels leading financial institutions and technology companies in high-stakes, multi-faceted investigations by Congress, state attorneys general, and federal government agencies. Kim provides corporate clients with the political acumen and legal expertise required to successfully navigate the entire landscape of emerging challenges in today’s increasingly polarized environment.

Prior to joining Mayer Brown, Kim served as General Counsel to the US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, providing strategic guidance to House committees on congressional investigations and oversight, including the issuance and enforcement of committee subpoenas to agencies and private parties. She also served as the Speaker’s representative on the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group which articulates the House’s position in litigation matters. In addition to her leadership position with the House Speaker, Kim served as the Republican Chief Counsel for Investigations for the Senate Rules Committee and as a senior lawyer in the US House Office of General Counsel. While in the House General Counsel’s office, Kim counseled committees across the House on all aspects of investigations, including the Ways & Means, Financial Services, Judiciary, Oversight & Government Reform, Homeland Security, Foreign Affairs, Education & Workforce, Energy & Commerce, and Science committees. Kim also litigated high-profile congressional cases, including subpoena and oversight cases, such as In re Subpoena of James Comey (D.D.C.), Bean LLC d/b/a/ Fusion GPS v. John Doe Bank (D.D.C.), and Comm. On Oversight & Gov’t Reform v. Lynch (D.D.C.). Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy praised Kim’s “invaluable legal counsel and representation to many of the Committees of the House, greatly assisting them in fulfilling their constitutionally-authorized oversight roles, protecting confidential committee communications with the Executive Branch from disclosure, and defending the House’s oversight and investigative prerogatives when challenged in litigation.”

Kim also maintains an active practice advising financial institutions on regulatory and legislative policy. She has particular expertise in federal securities laws, administrative procedure, agency rulemaking and enforcement, and has an insiders’ understanding of the impact of legislative policy, regulatory action and judicial review on the business community. From 2019 to 2021, Kim was chief counsel to SEC Chairman Jay Clayton, where she oversaw regulatory initiatives across all divisions of the SEC, including the issuance of more than 45 final rules. She also advised on significant legal and policy matters, including cross-border regulation, financial stability risks, major market events, and congressional inquiries. Kim also led advocacy and external engagement for a leading global asset management firm in the areas of financial stability, corporate governance, and regulatory frameworks impacting mutual funds.

Kim began her legal career in the litigation department of an international law firm in the New York and London offices, where she practiced for over a decade and advised clients on complex securities, compliance, antitrust, insurance, regulatory, and internal investigation matters.