Washington, D.C. – U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers, for the 11th consecutive year, collaboratively announce the release of the “Best Law Firms” rankings. The Kim & Lahey Law Firm has been recognized for this honor three times since it was founded in 2018.
by Kim, Lahey & Killough Law FirmFive attorneys named 2027 Best Lawyers, Doug Kim Patent Lawyer of Year
Doug Kim named 2027 Patent Law “Lawyer of the Year”
Five Kim, Lahey & Killough attorneys recognized by Best Lawyers
Kim, Lahey & Killough Law Firm is pleased to announce that firm founder Douglas W. Kim has been named the 2027 Patent Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Greenville, SC, by Best Lawyers, his third time earning the “Lawyer of the Year” distinction. The honor headlines a strong showing for the firm, which has five attorneys listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2027 edition, along with firm-wide recognition for its intellectual property and trademark practices. 
In Greenville, Kim is recognized in the 33rd edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for his work in patent law, trade secrets law, trademark law and litigation of IP and patent matters. This year’s Patent Lawyer of the Year title adds to two previous Lawyer of the Year honors: Trademark Lawyer of the Year in 2022 and Patent Lawyer of the Year in 2019 for the Greenville metro market.
Firm co-founder Seann Lahey joins the list again this year, recognized for his work in patent law and trademark law.
Hunter S. Freeman is commended for his work in litigation in commercial, intellectual property, and patent matters, copyright law, and trademark law.
Also in Greenville, Sara Kanos is recognized for her work in litigation – intellectual property and trademark law. Kanos was named the 2026 Trademark Lawyer of the Year for the Greenville metro.
In the firm’s Charleston office, B. C. Killough marks his 18th year on the Best Lawyers list, recognized for his work in business organizations (including LLCs and partnerships), corporate law, intellectual property litigation, patent law, and trademark law. Killough was named Corporate Law Lawyer of the Year for the Charleston metro in 2015.
“Seeing Doug named Patent Lawyer of the Year is a proud moment for this entire firm,” said Seann Lahey, co-founder of Kim, Lahey & Killough. “We’re honored to be recognized by both our clients and our peers through Best Lawyers: that kind of recognition tells us our work is being noticed both in the courtroom and in the way we serve our clients every day. And the fact that all five of us recognized this year are registered patent attorneys actively practicing in the IP space speaks to the technical and legal bench we’ve built here, as well as to our ongoing commitment to excellent client service.”
Best Lawyers also recognized Kim, Lahey & Killough among South Carolina’s top-listed firms this year. The firm is top-listed in South Carolina for both intellectual property litigation and in trademark law.
Since 1983, The Best Lawyers in America has compiled and reviewed peer evaluations from across the United States to identify its annual list of honorees, recognizing only the top 5% of lawyers in the nation.
About Kim, Lahey & Killough
Kim, Lahey & Killough is a South Carolina-based law firm focused on intellectual property, technology, and business law, with offices in Greenville and Charleston. The firm’s attorneys counsel clients in the creation, protection, enforcement, commercialization, and strategic management of intellectual property assets, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, licensing, technology transactions, and intellectual property litigation and related business interests.
The firm serves entrepreneurs, startups, manufacturers, technology companies, healthcare innovators, and established businesses throughout the United States and internationally. Kim, Lahey & Killough is known for its client-centered approach, combining technical, business, and legal experience to help clients protect innovation, build competitive advantages, and achieve business objectives
by Kim, Lahey & Killough Law FirmKim & Lahey Law Firm Named to “Best Law Firms” List 2021
Firms included in the 2021 Edition of U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” are recognized for professional excellence with consistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. To be eligible for a ranking, a firm must first have a lawyer recognized in The Best Lawyers in America©, which recognizes the top 5% of private practicing lawyers in the United States. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.
Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation. Almost 108,000 industry leading lawyers are eligible to vote (from around the world), and they have received over 13 million evaluations on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world. For the 2021 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America©, 9.4 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in more than 67,000 leading lawyers being included in the new edition. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor.
by Kim, Lahey & Killough Law FirmDoug Kim Selected to 2019 SC Super Lawyers List
Douglas Kim, Partner, Kim and Lahey Law Firm, LLC
Douglas Kim, a longtime intellectual property attorney in the Upstate area, has been selected to the 2019 South Carolina Super Lawyers list. Each year, no more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor.
Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters business, is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The annual selections are made using a patented multiphase process that includes a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates and peer reviews by practice area. The result is a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of exceptional attorneys.
Based in Greenville, South Carolina, Doug started his own law firm in March of 2018. Soon after, he partnered with longtime friend and colleague, Seann Lahey, in what is now the Kim and Lahey Law Firm, LLC. They assist clients, both domestically and internationally, who are looking to safeguard innovative ideas or inventions, secure their brand’s identity, or otherwise need to protect their business interests. They take a client-centric approach toward understanding a client’s needs in order to create customized legal solutions involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, enforcement, licensing, contracts, privacy policies, and website terms and conditions.
Doug also serves as the Chair of the South Carolina Bar Intellectual Property and Innovation Committee.
The Super Lawyers lists are published nationwide in Super Lawyers Magazines and in leading city and regional magazines and newspapers across the country. Super Lawyers Magazines also feature editorial profiles of attorneys who embody excellence in the practice of law. For more information about Super Lawyers, visit SuperLawyers.com.
