Previously, Dean, former Flinders Law School (2012-17); Professor of Law and Inaugural Director, Legal Issues Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand (2009-12); Professor of Legal Ethics (2000-09) and Head of Exeter Law School (1999-2004); Director, Exeter University Centre for Legal Interdisciplinary Development (EUCLID) (1989-93) and Acting Director, Centre for Legal Practice, (2005-06), University of Exeter, Devon, UK. Before arriving in Exeter in 1979 Kim studied law in London and was one of the first researchers at the European University Institute in Italy where he worked on the Florence Access to Justice Project (1976-79).

His subsequent career has focused on access to justice and policy-oriented law reform in which he applies socio-legal, interdisciplinary and comparative methods to explain legal behaviour, with particular reference to civil disputes, professional regulation, rural legal services, legal education/skills and legal technology. Apart from the academic study of legal ethics, he has pioneered novel collaborations between law and management studies, and law and geography.

Kim holds multiple Australian, UK, Spanish and Cypriot (EU) citizenships, with permanent resident status in New Zealand, and brings a global perspective to his research. He collaborates with Cypriot, Brazilian, Spanish and German researchers and last taught at the University of Cyprus (2019-21). He currently contributes to the Global Access to Justice Project (Regional Co-ordinator for Oceania, and Thematic Co-ordinator for Professional Legal Ethics and Anthropological/Postcolonial approaches that learn from First Nations Peoples).