Written By: Zachary Cuttito
Kimberly Wolf Price is the Chief Strategy Officer and the Diversity Officer for Bond Schoeneck and King (“Bond”), a commercial law firm comprised of more than 300 lawyers in 11 offices across the U.S. where she has worked at Bond for 5 years. In her role, she manages several departments, advises firm leaders and oversees the diversity/equity/inclusion programming as well as the training and professional development of the associates.
A 6th grade essay assignment set Kim on the path that led her to law school. The essay required Kim to discuss what she wanted her career to be when she was 30 years old. Kim wrote that she wanted to be a lawyer. Growing up, she had little exposure to the legal profession. After graduating from high school in Utica, NY, Kim made her way to Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, becoming the first in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree. Upon graduating, Kim worked in politics and government before lobbying on child welfare and social services issues in Albany. After working in this role for a few years, she decided to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a lawyer.
Kim studied for the LSAT during the evening following her workday lobbying. After the LSAT and application process, she chose Syracuse University College of Law because of the scholarship opportunity as well as the outstanding administrators and faculty. While at the College of Law, she was involved with many organizations, including the Law Review, where she served as a Senior Notes Editor. She was also a member of the Moot Court Honor Society (now the Advocacy Honor Society), volunteered for the admissions office, and served as a research assistant to Professor Arlene Kanter, a disability law scholar.
During her time on the Law Review, Kim focused her attention on strengthening her editing skills and served as a mentor for the second-year members working on their notes. Kim remarked that many of her favorite law school memories involve her time as an editor with the Syracuse Law Review. Kim stated that some of her most influential professors at the College of Law were Professors Arlene Kanter for whom she was a research assistant, and the late Joseph Barrette whom she had for contracts and criminal law. Not only did she forge wonderful and long-lasting relationships with professors and administrators, including former Dean Daan Braveman, but she also met her husband and Law Review alumnus, Fred Price L’03, in her first-year legal writing course.
Following her graduation from the College of Law, Kim first worked as an associate in New York City for Clifford Chance US LLP, a British-based firm of approximately 4,000 attorneys worldwide. While at Clifford Chance, Kim focused on internal investigations and securities fraud cases while serving on the pro bono committee. After years of working at Clifford Chance, Kim made the move back to Syracuse with her family where she became a litigation associate at a midsized law firm.
A year later, she was asked by the College of Law to work in the Career and Professional Development office, an offer which she accepted. She soon became the head of the office, overseeing pro bono initiatives, DEI programming, career services, professional development, and a non-credit first-year seminar. She was also involved with students, as she taught a variety of seminars, including the Pro Bono Scholars and the local Central New York Externship Program lawyering seminars. Kim is credited with founding the NYC Full-Semester externship program and co-founding the Syracuse Civics Initiative with Professor Lauryn Gouldin.
Many years into her career at the College of Law, Kim received a call from a colleague at Bond asking her to apply for a new position the firm had created. Kim applied, was offered and accepted the role which she has served in for the last 5 years. She said, while leaving the students at the College of Law was difficult, she feels that Bond is absolutely where she is meant to be.
Kim spends time giving back to her profession and her community. She is the Immediate Past Chair of the NYS Bar Association Women in Law Section. She is the current chair of the NYSBA Committee on Attorney Well-Being. Among other positions, she serves on the board of the CNY Volunteer Lawyers Project, continuing her commitment to pro bono work that she began as a junior attorney. She can still be found at the College of Law from time to time thanks to her many collaborations with Professors Gouldin, Suzette Melendez and Paula Johnson.
Reflecting on her career, Kim remarked that a unique and meaningful part of her career has been the opportunity to work at Bond with many of the attorneys she supported when they were students during her tenure at Syracuse. She commented that it is such a unique and fulfilling opportunity to be able to see her former students grow from College of Law students to associates and to be able to call them her colleagues. She is also lucky to once again be working with her husband who is an IP attorney and partner at Bond. An unexpected and fun aspect of her role at Bond is serving as the host of “Legally Bond” the firm’s podcast which began three years ago.
Kim believes that besides writing and research skills, successful lawyers are curious, kind and diligent. Kim’s advice for current students is to remain open to new opportunities and challenges and to stay true to themselves.