Kim Higgins is an accomplished employment attorney with extensive experience in litigation and counseling. Currently serving as the Employment Law Counsel at Medtronic, Kim advises businesses and global functions teams on myriad employment issues, manages litigation cases in state and federal court, develops and conducts training sessions and provides subject matter expertise in mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. Kim also currently leads the Retention & Representation Workstream for the Legal Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility (IDEA) Committee.

Prior to joining Medtronic, Kim was Counsel at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP where she provided comprehensive legal counsel to U.S. and Global clients and represented clients in state and federal court. While at Pillsbury, Kim embraced one of her passions in helping small businesses and founders by helping form the Black-Owned Startup Support (BOSS) Lab to aid in addressing some of the systemic inequities in venture funding and provide legal and advisory services to innovative startups with high growth potential. She also guest lectured at the University of Southern California’s Master of Health Administration program on minimizing employment risks in healthcare administration.

Kim's legal career began in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office and small boutique trial firms where she gained valuable experience in employment litigation, wage & hour class actions, and civil and criminal trial work. Kim holds a Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Arts in History and Black Studies from Claremont McKenna College. While at Loyola, Kim was a member of the nationally ranked and award-winning Byrne Trial Advocacy Program which she then coached for several years after graduation. Prior to her legal career, she was a human resources manager for a major retailer and spent several years in corporate retail management.

Kim has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America© Ones to Watch, The National Black Lawyers©, and Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers© (Rising Star) for her contributions to the field of employment law. She has also served in various volunteer positions in professional and non-profit organizations including the Los Angeles Center for Law & Justice and the California Minority Counsel Program. In her spare time, Kim also enjoys formally and informally mentoring young students and aspiring attorneys, which is one of the things that attracted her to Ms. JD. Kim is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.