Kim Tran
Kim Tran serves as GitHub's in-house employment law attorney where she is the Head of HR Legal. She provides legal advice to all global HR functions including Talent Acquisition to Employee Relations to Operations. Kim partners with cross-functional teams to build employee processes, help attract top-talent and, support a vibrant workplace.
Prior to joining GitHub, Kim previously worked in Microsoft’s Corporate Legal External Affairs for almost a decade where she served in a number of capacities including leading a team of workplace investigators, providing employment law advice on a number of global programs including mergers and acquisitions, background screening and US-based employment issues. Kim was a co-lead for API in CELA, an Employee Network where she received the Community & Culture FY21 Annual Award for a community partnership with Advancing Justice Southern California to address anti-Asian hate incidents. Before going in-house, Kim was a litigation shareholder with the Seattle law firm formerly known as Stafford Frey Cooper. During her 12 years at the law firm, Kim’s practice focused on employment law and she litigated hundreds of civil matters. Kim previously served as judge pro tem in King County District Court.
Kim was the first woman of color to serve as President of the King County Bar Association (founded in 1886) which oversees the interests of the 15,000 attorneys who practice in King County. Kim is past board president of Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS), the largest nonprofit agency serving the Asian Pacific American population in Washington, where she volunteered as a naturalization teacher from 1999 to 2009. ACRS completed a $19.1M capital campaign project under Kim’s leadership as board President.
Kim has previously served on the boards of the following organizations: National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) Foundation (board member); Asian Bar Association of Washington (President, 2006, Community Service Award, 2004); Joint Asian Judicial Evaluations (Committee Chair, 2009); and the Vietnamese American Bar Association (board member). Kim is a Fellow with the American Bar Foundation, was an inaugural WSBA Leadership Institute Fellow (2005), WSBA’s Judicial Institute (2012), and was an invited member of the William L. Dwyer Inn of Court. Kim received her J.D. from Lewis and Clark Law School, her B.A. degree from Tufts University (English and Political Science) and Certificate in Human Resources from the University of Washington. She and her husband live in Washington with their three young sons and dog.