Overview
Joon H. Kim is an American attorney specializing in white-collar matters, regulatory investigations, corporate litigation and independent reviews. As of November 2026, he is a litigation partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Previously, he served as acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) from March 2017 to January 2018. His work has involved investigations for companies, boards and public institutions.
Legal and public-service career
Kim joined Cleary Gottlieb in 1997, served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Manhattan from 2000 to 2006 and returned to federal service in 2013. His SDNY leadership appointments included chief counsel, chief of the Criminal Division and deputy U.S. attorney before serving as acting U.S. attorney. He returned to Cleary Gottlieb after leaving government and joined Wachtell in October 2026.
Kim graduated from Stanford University in 1993 and Harvard Law School in 1996. He clerked for U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum. His reported investigative experience includes work on the independent review of allegations concerning former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo; the fact of that professional assignment does not establish a connection to the subject of Nvidia's review. Wachtell biography · 2013 DOJ appointment · Reuters, October 1.
November 2026: independent Nvidia board investigation
On November 8, 2026, Nvidia announced that its independent directors would oversee an inquiry following news reports that CEO Jensen Huang had been targeted by a foreign intelligence effort. On November 10, the independent directors announced that they had retained Kim and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz as outside counsel to conduct the investigation. This appointment is confirmed by Nvidia's November 10 press release.
The firm's retention is a documented legal-services relationship. Kim was retained by Nvidia's independent board members to investigate the allegations; it is not evidence that Kim participated in any alleged conduct or has a political relationship with the people under review.
What is and is not established
Established: Nvidia publicly announced the outside counsel engagement on November 10, following the November 8 board investigation announcement. Not established: any finding that Huang knowingly aided a foreign intelligence service, that Nvidia's secrets were compromised, or that Kim or Wachtell had a role in the alleged underlying events. Nvidia's board said on November 8 that it had no reason to believe company secrets or national security were compromised. The investigation and any reported FBI or congressional activity are distinct processes with different authority.
Timeline
- Federal prosecutor
Serves as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York.
- SDNY leadership
Returns to the office in senior positions; serves as acting U.S. attorney March 2017–January 2018.
- Joins Wachtell
Moves from Cleary Gottlieb to the firm's litigation practice.
- Nvidia board appointment
Named with Wachtell as independent outside counsel for the board inquiry.
Documented relationships
The documented legal engagement does not imply wrongdoing, personal alignment or involvement in alleged espionage.
Source records
- Nvidia independent directors — November 10, 2026, outside counsel appointment (primary)
- Nvidia board — November 8, 2026, original independent inquiry announcement (primary)
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz — Joon H. Kim professional biography (primary)
- U.S. Department of Justice — April 1, 2013, appointment announcement (primary)
- Reuters — October 1, 2026, Kim's move to Wachtell
- Wikimedia Commons — public-domain U.S. Department of Justice portrait