October 2006

In Memoriam

Remembering Kevin Jung

by Sam Chung

I first met Kevin Jung in 1990. I had just passed the Washington State Bar exam, and he called me out of the blue to introduce himself, stating that he saw my name from the new Bar admission list. Because he and I shared the same last name (although I spell mine “Chung”), he knew that I was Korean, and we decided to meet for lunch. Having the same last name was enough of a reason to get together for lunch with someone back then.

We met at a popular teriyaki restaurant in downtown Seattle. As we talked, we found out that we had things in common aside from our surname. Like me, Kevin had moved from Korea when he was in elementary school and considered himself as an “in-between” or “1.5” generation. We had both spent time in Washington, D.C., attending law school and had played organized soccer. Kevin also told me that there were several other Korean-American attorneys in the area and that we should try to get together. As we parted, I told him that if he needed any help with anything, he should let me know. I was not being presumptuous as a brand-new lawyer; it just seemed that because I was working at a large law firm and he was working by himself, I might have access to resources that he didn’t have. Kevin did take me up on my offer, because I remember him calling me to get legal forms.

A couple of years after our lunch, I contacted Kevin about participating in a new pro bono program. I had been thinking about getting together some of the Korean-American lawyers in the area to start a pro bono legal clinic for low-income and elderly people. I was trying to do this through a local community counseling center, and I had contacted several attorneys, including Kevin, to find out if they were interested in volunteering. I knew that Kevin would be interested, because I had heard him on Korean-language radio programs speaking about the lack of legal representation in the Korean community. This was also about the time that riots in Los Angeles had decimated many Korean-owned businesses, and many people felt that some type of community legal assistance program was needed. As I suspected, Kevin was very receptive and said such a program was critical for our community. He then came to a dinner hosted by the Korean Consul General of Seattle to bring the various interested parties together. True to himself, Kevin spoke passionately about the unmet legal needs in the growing Korean community.

It took several more months, but the clinic finally got started in early summer of 1992. Kevin kept up with the clinic for several years. This was a fairly large commitment, because there were only six volunteer lawyers at the time. This was a strain on our time and there was a problem with no-shows. Sometime later, Kevin called me and said that he was not going to be able to participate any longer. He had small children and was also traveling frequently. By that time, we had more lawyers volunteering and the program was running fairly smoothly. Like Kevin, I was checking the Bar admission list and I was making calls to people with Korean-sounding surnames, asking them to volunteer.

I then heard that Kevin had moved to a large firm in Seattle. Then someone told me later that Kevin had opened an office in Seoul, Korea, and that he was commuting between Seattle and Seoul. This was no easy feat given the time difference and the travel, but I thought that if anyone could do it, Kevin could. Shortly thereafter, my parents told me that a Korean lawyer with the same last name was speaking on television. I was pleased that Kevin had moved from radio to television. I made a point to watch the program and realized that he had a lot more gray hair than at our first meeting.

In October 2004, as I was driving to work, I heard a voice that I immediately recognized. Kevin was being interviewed on KIRO radio news about his client who had just been killed by her estranged husband. The husband had just gotten out of jail for violating a no-contact order and after his release he immediately went to the store where his wife was working and killed her with a kitchen knife. Kevin was again speaking out — talking about the poor woman’s efforts to get legal help.

I will never forget the day he was shot — November 3, 2004. About mid-morning, I received a call from a local Korean-language radio station and when I answered my telephone, the caller seemed surprised that I answered the phone. He asked if I was all right and then told me that he had heard that a Korean attorney named “Chung” had been shot. I just knew it was Kevin. I immediately went to the hospital to see him. I met his wife, Sally, and Kevin’s family, and after seeing Kevin, I was amazed that he had actually survived.

The trial of Kevin’s assailant, William Joice, was really about when and what sentence he would receive. Joice had admitted to shooting Kevin, although he tried to argue that he was only trying to wound Kevin. The trial was very difficult for Kevin’s family. For me, what was most memorable about the trial was that at Joice’s sentencing, Joice’s wife entered the courtroom very late, just as Judge Spector was about to read her ruling. The courtroom was packed and there was only one empty space remaining — directly behind Kevin’s wife, Sally. As Joice’s wife sat down, I knew that she and Sally felt each other’s presence, and as the sentence was announced, they both broke out in tears.

About a week after the sentencing, Kevin passed away from the numerous complications from his injuries. He had lived more than a year following the incident, and it was as if he had forced himself to stay alive until the case was finally over and Joice received his sentence. I just think as a good lawyer, he simply wanted to make sure that things were well taken care of before he could move on. 

Sam Chung is a partner at Lee Anav Chung LLP, and focuses his practice on commercial litigation matters. He is the founding president of the Korean American Bar Association of Washington and is also a past overseas president of the International Association of Korean Lawyers. He can be reached at samuelchung@leeanavchung.com and 206-654-5050.