Jim Korman is one of Northern Virginia’s most respected divorce lawyers, having built a solid reputation as both a litigator and mediator. What’s more, the D.C. native has over the last four decades helped build Bean, Kinney & Korman into one of the premier real-estate, commercial litigation and family-law practices based in suburban Washington. To a large extent the 37-lawyer firm – recently relocated to the Navy League Building in Arlington – is a reflection of Korman himself: hard-working, unpretentious and hands-on. For years he has played a key role in hiring the firm’s partners and associates, helping define the firm’s character. (“Today we’ve got the most talented lawyers we’ve ever had.â€) Korman continues to practice law directly, with a diverse stable of clients.
The eldest of three, Korman grew up in Northwest Washington and attended Woodrow Wilson High School; his father was a respected D.C. Court judge, his mother an artist. In the mid 60s, while in law school at George Washington, he clerked for a major firm in downtown Washington, but “my un-air-conditioned VW struggled to get into town every day†from his apartment in South Arlington. Though he entertained offers from several downtown firms, he ultimately interviewed with David Kinney, whose 5-lawyer practice in Arlington was growing with the region.
Korman began as a generalist, with an emphasis on litigation (“You could do everything in those daysâ€) but steadily evolved to domestic relations work. “The emotions are higher than in any other field of the law, which keeps a lot of good lawyers away from it,†says the even-tempered Korman. “But I found that I enjoyed helping people at such a critical moment in their lives.†The firm’s work with banks and financial institutions, Korman says, gave his family law practice a “leg up†in the marketplace, and the firm’s practice grew steadily.
Today the firm’s domestic relations practice has four lawyers, including Carol Shrier-Polak, who was named to Ten Leaders in 2005. Korman reflects often on his good fortune: “Chance brought me here, and I’ve always loved the challenge of going up against great lawyers. After more than 30 years I can say I still love my work.†Korman and his wife Babs have one daughter and two grandchildren. He enjoys travel and has an impressive collection of political campaign buttons. He’s a longtime (and long suffering) Redskins season ticket holder.