Kim is a trial lawyer who represents clients in high-stakes personal injury actions and complex commercial litigation. She is nationally recognized as one of the preeminent pharmaceutical and medical device trial attorneys, having served as trial counsel in high-profile cases throughout the country.
Overview
Kim is a trial lawyer who represents clients in high-stakes personal injury actions and complex commercial litigation. She is nationally recognized as one of the preeminent pharmaceutical and medical device trial attorneys, having served as trial counsel in high-profile cases throughout the country.
Practice Areas
About
Kim is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Chambers USA recognized Kim for Nationwide Product Liability & Mass Torts (2021-2024) and Litigation - Trial Lawyers (2024), as well as Texas: Austin & Surrounds – Litigation: General Commercial (2023-2024). In its 2024 editorial, Chambers stated that Kim “is an excellent trial lawyer and a great advocate for the company. Kim gets results and is also great at working with other lawyers outside her firm.” Chambers also included the following quotes from clients and peers about her expertise:
- “Kim is second to none. She performs very well in a number of different jurisdictions. She’s amazing at trial and a pleasure to work with.” (2024)
- “She is a true superstar in terms of being a first chair high-stakes trial lawyer. (2024)
- “Kim is a terrific litigator and a wonderful person to work with.” (2024)
- "Kim Bueno is fantastic. She can connect with juries in ways that other lawyers just can't." (2023)
- “Her success speaks to her enormous talent as a trial lawyer to cut through the facts and connect with jurors. She is so easy to work with and you can see why juries love her: she is credible, relatable, prepared, a true advocate and a hard worker.” (2023)
- “She is a phenomenal trial lawyer who is great to work with.” (2023)
- “Kim is not only an accomplished trial lawyer, she also comes in and does everything and anything to help. She's a team player.” (2023)
The Legal 500 US (2024) recognized Kim as a Leading Lawyer for Nationwide Dispute Resolution: Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action Defense - Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices, and stated that she “is recognized as a ‘very dynamic trial specialist’, and has scored a raft of high-profile victories in federal and state courts through the country, including a number of recent wins in pelvic mesh trials.”
Kim is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Association and is involved in a variety of organizations including IADC, DRI and the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section.
She obtained her J.D., high honors, from The University of Texas School of Law and her B.A., summa cum laude, in Political Science and Journalism, from Southern Methodist University. She is admitted to practice in Texas.
Experience
Kim’s recent trial experience includes the following:
- Salcedo v. Johnson & Johnson, et al., Case No. 2020 L 004505, Cook County, Illinois: Served as lead trial counsel in 5-week trial involving talcum powder products. (March- April 2024).
- Freeman v. Ethicon, Inc., Case No. 2:20-cv-10661-CBM-SKA, U.S.D.C. (C.D. Calif.): Served as lead trial counsel in a 10-day jury trial involving pelvic mesh (September 2022).
- Shears v. Ethicon, Inc., et al., Case No. 1:20-cv-00264, U.S.D.C. (N.D. W.Va.): Served as lead trial counsel in an eight-day trial involving pelvic mesh (March 2022).
Distinctions
- Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
- Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business
- Litigation: Trial Lawyers – Nationwide, 2024
- Product Liability & Mass Torts – Nationwide, 2021-2024
- Litigation: General Commercial – Texas, 2023-2024
- The Legal 500 US
- Leading Lawyer: Dispute Resolution: Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Action: Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices – Defense, 2024
Bar Admissions
- Texas, 2008
- U.S. District Courts
- Texas: Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western
- U.S. Court of Appeals
- 5th Circuit
Education
- The University of Texas School of Law, J.D., high honors, 2008
- Order of the Coif
- Southern Methodist University, B.A., Political Science and Journalism, summa cum laude, 1996
Associations
- International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC)
- Defense Research Institute (DRI)
- Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
- Fellow, Travis County Women Lawyers' Foundation
- Austin Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section
Papers, Presentations & Publications
- Speaker, "Changes in Juror Perceptions Post-Covid," DRI 2023 Drug and Medical Device Seminar, May 5, 2023.
- Panelist, "Trial Lawyer Roundtable," Pro Te: Solutio, Vol. 15, No. 1, March 2022.
- Panelist, "Navigating the New Hybrid World of Virtual/In-Person Trial Practice: Managing Shifting Client and Court Expectations and Implementing Strategies for Successful Outcomes," 26th Annual Conference on Drug & Medical Device Litigation, December 7, 2021.
- Presenter, "Visual Advocacy: How to Effectively Persuade Through Graphical Demonstrations," TexasBarCLE, Business Disputes Course, September 2, 2021.
- Co-Author, “Guidelines for Mass Tort Aggregate Settlements in Texas,” The Advocate, Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas, 2016.