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Oyster Pointer Salutes: COWARDIN AND KIM, Attorneys Making a Difference
Cowardin has been a member of a number of law firms, large and small, including Gibson and Cowardin, where he was a founding partner. They were one of the first businesses to locate in Oyster Point Business Park. He prefers a small, client-oriented firm, where there is a person-to-person relationship. Cowardin specializes in estate problems, commercial contracts and general real estate/business law. He no longer handles divorce cases.

According to Cowardin, he has known some of his clients for more than twenty years, helping them through many of their life milestones. Often several members of one family will become clients. He enjoys watching his business clients succeed. Most of his business comes by referral.

“Bill has a common sense approach,” says Fred Cenname, owner of Rule Contracting and a commercial real estate broker and developer for 25 years. He has worked with Cowardin for 20 years on personal and business legal matters. “Bill knows how to get people together and come up with a practical answer to a problem.” Cenname respects Cowardin’s integrity and credits him with having the best business judgment in legal issues of anyone in the legal field. He can “make it happen,” often avoiding the courtroom and additional costs.

Kim was born in Korea; she came to the United States at age 10 and did not speak English. Her family joined a relative in Newport News. She graduated from the College of William & Mary with a degree in accounting and attended Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts. After a few years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston and Chicago, she returned to Newport News to practice law.

Kim dates her interest in law back to her childhood when her mother had legal problems. The charges were eventually dropped but the language difficulties created a scary situation, which made a significant impression on her. Today she is the only Korean-American attorney on the Virginia Peninsula. She specializes in immigration law and has Asian, Mideastern, and Spanish/Filipino clients.

Kim and Cowardin met in the lobby at the firm of Kaufman and Canoles. Cowardin was a partner and Kim had come for an interview. He describes her as a “neat person,” who makes a good first impression. The two continued their association for nearly 12 years at other firms. Then in August 2002, they formed their own partnership and moved to their present location in First Union Centre, at 11790 Jefferson Avenue, Suite 200. They have a support staff of three paralegals

Though Kim and Cowardin have separate specialities, they collaborate on cases involving real estate and general business. They consult with each other and often team up on courtroom litigation. They expect to expand the practice slowly. Cowardin has no plans to retire (he says that he finally knows his job after 32 years!). He will eventually move away from the “legwork”and assume the role of consultant.

Both partners have active roles in civic activities. Kim has served on the Board of the Virginia Peninsula Council on Domestic Violence. She is active in the Korean-American community and contributes to Dureh Journal, a Korean newspaper. She is married and has three children. Every year the family visits Korea, where her in-laws still live. Cowardin admires her skill at balancing career and family. He says she has a good sense of humor, is calm and able to “hold her own” in tough situations. She says she is proud to be a lawyer; she finds it exciting to be able to change lives and make a difference.

Kim recalls one client who worked hard, lived frugally, and saved $17,000 in cash. He finally went on a vacation and took his cash with him. When he crossed the border into Canada, US Customs seized the cash. They would not return it when he left the country since he could not prove the source of his funds. Kim was happy to intercede and get his money back.

Cowardin is very civic minded and interested in the future of Newport News. He has served in various capacities with the YMCA and is currently chairman of the Newport News City Planning Commission. He becomes quite passionate as he describes the changing makeup of the city and plans for its future. He is excited about Port Warwick and is an advocate of a light rail system. Cowardin frequently contributes articles to the Oyster Pointer. Someday he would like to write a history of Newport News and the fascinating people he has known.

Cowardin describes himself as a “lifetime golfer.” His wife Connie is the principal of Trinity Lutheran School; he has a daughter and a son and is a “devoted granddaddy” to his two grandchildren.