Army paralegal looking out for Soldiers during tough times

Photo By Christian Marquardt | Pfc. Isaac Kim, a paralegal specialist with the Grafenwoehr Trial Defense Services office, is the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command Soldier of the Month for February 2015.  

GRAFENWOEHR, BY, GERMANY

02.05.2015

Story by Christian Marquardt  

7th Army Training Command

JMTC Soldier of the Month - February 2015
Pfc. Isaac Kim
Paralegal Specialist, Trial Defense Services
7th Army JMTC Office of Staff Judge Advocate, Grafenwoehr, Germany
Hometown: Richmond, Va.

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany - Pfc. Isaac Kim is not someone most Soldiers want to see. It usually means something has gone wrong.

Tucked away in a small office on the top floor of the Grafenwoehr Legal Center, Kim is one of two paralegal specialists working for the 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command's Office of the Staff Judge Advocate's Trial Defense Services team. Their job is to help and prepare Soldiers charged with violations of the Uniform Military Code of Justice - the U.S. Department of Defense's legal code.

"We're like the defense attorneys for the U.S. Army," said Kim. "A lot of Soldiers don't know what their rights are. That's where we can help."

Kim is first person most Soldiers meet when they visit Trial Defense Services, and that's not a bad thing. His calm demeanor and shy smile instantly puts you at ease.

"I love to meet people," said Kim. "I think it's important to learn their background and history, so we can help them out. They may be in trouble, but that's when they need someone the most."

Kim has been in the Army for less than a year, and an even shorter time as a paralegal. He's a numbers guy, with a background in finance and real estate, but he has quickly picked up the skills that many Army paralegal specialists take years to acquire, said his supervisor, Sgt. Aimee Furr, Noncommissioned Officer in Charge of the Grafenwoehr Trial Defense Services.

"This job is not physically demanding, but it is emotionally demanding. Paralegals need a maturity to handle difficult situations," said Furr. "Some people can get up and run from the start; that's Pfc. Kim."

Kim has already had a huge impact on the life of at least one Soldier. During a recent court martial trial, Kim took the initiative to track down a key witness who was critical in the judge's decision to release the accused Soldier from confinement during the trial.

Kim said he's just a small part of the legal process, but he still feels that he's making a difference. "I always try to remember that the Soldiers we see are just human beings who've made some mistakes. We're just trying to help them out. A lot of times, we're all they have left," said Kim.

Although helping Soldiers through a difficult time in their career is not where Pfc. Issac Kim saw himself more than a year ago, he's happy with his decision to join the Army and become a paralegal specialist. So happy, in fact, that he's already determined to make the Army a career.

Even though working through the complexities of the military justice system is challenging, Kim feels like he has found his niche.

"I guess I just got lucky," he said.

Many of the Soldiers who have been helped by him probably feel the same way.

• Date Taken: 02.05.2015
• Date Posted: 02.05.2015 05:24
• Story ID: 153597
• Location: GRAFENWOEHR, BY, DE
• Hometown: RICHMOND, VA, US