Since founding Hurtado Zimmerman SC in 1998, Kim has built a reputation as one of the most well-respected construction lawyers in the world. As a Fellow and Board of Governers Member of the American College of Construction Lawyers, a Charter Fellow of the Construction Lawyers Society of America, and recognized as a Thought Leader by International Who’s Who – Construction Law, Kim has been at the forefront of the development of construction law for decades.
Kim’s success is built on a deep understanding and appreciation of the construction and real estate industries, a passion for the ethical practice of law, and a commitment to delivering service excellence to her clients.
Her practice includes domestic and international negotiation of construction, real property, business acquisition and financing contracts—including public bond issuance and related funding mechanisms for major infrastructure projects, such as public-private partnerships (PPPs), integrated project delivery (IPD) and other forms of joint venture project completion.
She has decades of experience in the successful resolution of complex construction disputes—particularly structural design and construction defects, scope change, bond and lien foreclosure, critical path delay, insurance coverage and contract interpretation claims in state and federal court trials and appeals, and through a wide range of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes.
Kim has also developed acclaimed disadvantaged, minority and small business enterprise (DBE/MBE/SBE) programs for private, public and quasi-public entities compliant with federal and state funding requirements, and provides best practices consultation for ongoing implementation of these programs.
In addition, Kim provides long-range planning and strategic analysis for development and construction firms, including employment and non-compete agreements, joint venture and merger agreements, and succession planning services, including generational business transitions.
Kim has extensive experience providing guidance for ongoing construction project management issues. Clients rely on her for help with best value practices in development financing, change order resolutions, building information modeling (BIM and BPxP) and electronic project management, 3D printing, prefabrication of structures and building components, and life cycle sustainability initiatives, including LEED® and other sustainability certifications.
She frequently serves as a partnering facilitator, mediator and private arbitrator, and is known for thoughtful listening, thorough knowledge of the law, and out-of-the-box problem solving that leads to mutually acceptable resolution of claims.
Kim is the author of numerous books and articles about construction law, and is a frequent lecturer on construction and alternative dispute resolution law for universities, bar associations, and construction industry groups nationally and internationally.
She also serves on the US Army Corps of Engineers Industry BIM Consortium, and has chaired Drafting Committees for several Associated General Contractors of America ConsensusDOCs contracting forms.
Kim is a Lifetime Member of the International Society of Business Leaders, and a Senior Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, The Trial Lawyer Honorary Society, and a member of the Trial Law Institute and Diversity Law Institute. She is a Fellow of the American Bar Association Foundation and the Wisconsin Bar Foundation, and also serves on Travaux Board of Directors, a non-profit subsidiary of the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee providing low income and special needs housing and related social services and has provided pro bono services to numerous non-profit organization over her thirty-five year legal career, including the Milwaukee Art Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Betty Brinn Children’s Museum Maker Space, Mercy Housing Lakefront, and the US Army Corps of Engineers BIM Advisory Committee.
She is a professor at The School of Architecture at Arcosanti and is a frequent lecturer internationally on construction and ethics issues.
Certification
CM-BIM
Associated General Contractors of America
Certification
Structural Engineering, The Center for Professional Advancement, East Brunswick, New Jersey
Juris Doctor
Marquette University Law School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Master of Arts
Communication – Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Bachelor of Science
Theatre Arts – University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Certificate – Diploma Course in Tibetan Buddhism – Nolanda University
Licensed State of Wisconsin
Admitted to Practice – United States District Court – Eastern District of Wisconsin; United States District Court – Western District of Wisconsin; United States Court of Appeals – Seventh Circuit; United States District Court – Delaware; United States Bankruptcy Court – Delaware
