Contact

William O. London

Kimura London & White LLP

17631 Fitch
Irvine, CA 92614

949-776-2874

www.klw-law.com

The Mandarin-speaking founding partner of Kimura London & White is building a firm around the whole client, not the traditional law firm model.

During the past eight years, I’ve gone from being the attorney handling most of the day-to-day work to now being the attorney managing and supervising a fairly large team of professionals. And I have to be honest, I absolutely love that role,” says William O. London (“Bill” London), Founding Partner at Kimura London & White LLP.

A Mandarin-speaking, international-business attorney serving high-net-worth private clients, London leads a rapidly expanding mid-sized law firm in Orange County. His practice spans business, litigation, private client, and work across international boundaries, which allows him to advise clients whose needs often overlap across multiple areas of law, commerce, and borders.

Kimura London & White is recognized among the Top 100 Law Firms in Orange County and was featured in Forbes and Fortune. London leads a team of 42 professionals: 20 attorneys, 15 support staff, and 7 administrative professionals. According to the Orange County Business Journal, the firm is the fourth-fastest-growing law firm in Orange County in 2026. The firm has offices in Irvine, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, San Diego, San Francisco, and New York, NY.

London says, “We have unusual breadth for a firm our size. A business owner or private client may come to us with a litigation issue that also involves real estate, corporate issues, trust and estate, family, or international considerations. Rather than treating those as completely separate problems, we bring together attorneys across the firm knowledgeable and experienced in those areas and look at the client’s situation as a whole.”

London and his team’s ability to handle the most complex challenges is tested and proven in the international marketplace on a regular basis.

Meeting the International Challenge

A case in point involved a Chinese business owner who saw the incredible investment opportunities here in the United States, one of the safest places in the world for investment. He trusted a friend to handle his U.S. transactions, which involved several million dollars in real estate investments. The friend was no friend at all and decided to keep the funds for his own use.

London and his team were well prepared to face the challenge of working together with more than 6,000 miles of ocean between client and attorney. Everyone in the group was involved in this case to help translate and communicate with the client. Kimura London & White has 14 people on its Greater China practice group. All are bilingual in Mandarin and English. They conducted online meetings in Chinese, explained the U.S. legal system and processes, and maintained active and effective open lines of communication throughout the case.

The firm handled the three-year lawsuit, which culminated in a trial in which they obtained a $2 million judgment for their client. London’s Mandarin fluency and international legal training allowed him to lead that work directly. London spent a semester at Tsinghua University in Beijing, so he was more than familiar not only with the differences in law, but also with the differences in culture.

One of the reasons for their notable achievements in this challenging legal arena is a recognition of the commonalities between the cultures rather than a focus on differences. “We have a lot in common. Americans and Chinese play a crucial role in the world. You have a real entrepreneurial spirit in both countries. You have a sense of capability, pride, a drive. That’s a great base for building relationships for those who recognize and act on it.”

At the Intersection of Planning and Building

London says he and his partners have structured the firm differently from the traditional law firm model. One example is their team-based approach to complex matters. Rather than automatically assigning a client to a single attorney or practice group, they identify the legal, business, financial, and personal issues involved and bring the right attorneys into the matter early. This is particularly valuable for business owners and private clients whose litigation, corporate, real estate, estate planning, family, and international concerns may all intersect.

They have also invested heavily in technology and systems designed to make legal services more responsive, including AI-assisted intake and internal workflows, streamlined lead and conflict-review processes, data-driven case intake, and technology that helps the team respond to potential clients quickly while still keeping attorney judgment at the center of the process.

London says that ultimately, the innovation is not any one piece of technology, but the way they are building the firm: multidisciplinary, multilingual, technology-forward, highly responsive, and structured around what the client actually needs rather than how law firms have traditionally organized themselves.

One of the biggest drivers of their growth has been what London says is simply “being in the room.” The attorneys regularly attend industry events, community organizations, business groups, and professional gatherings where they build real relationships over time. The goal is not to walk into every room aggressively looking for a client with every handshake. The goal is to get to know people first, understand what they do and what they need, and become someone they know and trust before there is ever a legal need. “When that need shows up on their doorstep, they already know we’re here for them,” London says.

One of the biggest differences is how they approach a matter from the beginning. They invest the time to understand what is really at stake, put the right attorneys and professionals in the room early, and are candid with clients about strategy, cost, risk, and what they believe is the best path forward. They respond in a timely manner to make sure clients are confident and never have to wait months to understand where their case stands.

Ultimately, they work to combine the resources and sophistication clients expect from a larger firm with the responsiveness, accountability, and personal attention of a much more closely held practice, which is one of the reasons so many other attorneys and firms rely on Kimura London & White for specific challenges outside their normal practice areas or resources.

Intersecting With Other Attorneys and Law Firms

“We are also intentionally relationship-driven. Clients have direct access to experienced attorneys, and the people responsible for the strategy remain involved in the matter. The same applies to referrals. When another attorney sends us a client, we understand that they are trusting us with their own reputation and relationship,” London says.

He believes in maintaining a substantial referral program, where permitted, and during the past five years has worked aggressively to establish and enhance a referral network. The firm values those relationships and has built a substantial referral network based on trust, communication, and professionalism.

They actively track referrals, facilitate introductions, and make sure referral arrangements are documented, honored, and handled professionally. That approach has helped build a strong network of attorneys and professionals who are comfortable sending them significant matters because they know the client and the referral relationship will be treated with care.

Collaboration can include foreign counsel, attorneys in other states, accountants, wealth advisors, corporate professionals, and other specialists. In sophisticated matters, knowing when to assemble the right team is an important part of providing effective representation.

“We view referrals as long-term partnerships, not one-off transactions. Attorneys who send matters to us can expect clear communication, careful handling of their clients, and transparency throughout the process. We also look for opportunities to refer matters back out when another attorney or firm is better suited for the work,” London says.

Putting the Right Pieces in the Right Place

London says everyone on his team understands that every client is unique and must be treated differently, according to specific needs, goals, and challenges. He learned early in his career that the first questions to ask a new client should focus on determining a client’s real goals. Every client has a different goal and perhaps a different way of trying to achieve it. The real goal may not even be the one stated. Assigning the attorney or attorneys who best match that individual’s needs is crucial to ultimate success. “I am involved in supervising every case that my team handles, but I always determine: Who would be a good match for this client? Who would the client get along with the best? How would the relationship go? Because that’s really at the core; that personal connection is the basis on which all decisions are made, the client feels confident and comfortable or not, that relationship is really key.”

He describes his management style as firm but fair. He motivates the members of his team to treat each other with respect, empathy, and professionalism by leading by example. That results in a collegial, cooperative environment, which is necessary to have a competitive edge over opposing counsel. It’s a stressful, pressure-packed career in which cases can last for years, and putting the right people in the right place is essential to a successful outcome. He sets high expectations and clear standards, and keeps his employees and team members accountable.

He says the attorneys have already taken the LSAT, gone through three years of law school, and passed the bar exam. They are dedicated, hardworking people who have decided to make this their career. Therefore, he sees his job in many ways as a coach who holds them to a high standard and helps them to achieve their career goals and perform at their best.

“I’ve been an attorney for 15 years. I’m most proud of my team. I’ve hand-selected each one of them, and they’re all really good people. They work hard, they care, they’re always interested in growing and learning, and we treat each other with respect and integrity, so it’s a family of sorts. Of course, it’s work, but we’re here. We’re here a good amount of our lives, and I think each one of us has played a role, created a place where we feel respected, there’s growth, there’s a sense of pride, and I get to be a part of all that, so I’m very proud and pleased about that.”

Enjoying the Intersection of Community and Family

Once outside the office, London is as committed to his family and community as he is to his business and his clients. He recharges by regularly playing squash, which he says helps keep him physically and mentally on top of his game. He enjoys traveling, networking, and attending business and professional events throughout the United States. The international nature of his practice provides opportunities for routine trips to China as well, which allows him to maintain relationships, strengthen his cultural fluency, and stay connected to the business communities on each side of the Pacific.

He is deeply involved in Orange County’s arts community and serves as Official General Counsel and Sponsor of Pacific Symphony. He has also served on the board of Arts Orange County. He has provided counsel to the Newport Beach Firefighters Foundation and has participated in pro bono work through the Public Law Center. He ensures that the firm is also committed to the community through active support of Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County through its Food From the Bar initiative.

He has worked in Orange County for more than 12 years, which has given him a strong understanding of the local business community and the importance of long-term relationships. “I try to be involved in organizations and events and activities where I can contribute something meaningful rather than simply have my name on a membership list. Those relationships are meaningful because they allow me to use my legal experience in support of organizations that contribute to the community,” he says.

London’s career reflects a consistent philosophy: strong legal work begins with understanding people and building trust. That principle has guided his work across borders and his leadership within the firm. It also continues to shape his commitment to the community and the future of Kimura London & White.

» Education

• Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C., J.D., 2011
• Tsinghua University Law School, Beijing, China
• University of California, Santa Barbara, B.A., Law and Society, 2005

» Honors & Awards

• Southern California Super Lawyers, 2026–2027
• Southern California Rising Stars, 2016–2021
• Orange County Business Journal, Top Litigators & Corporate Lawyers, 2026
• Lawyers of Distinction, 2024
• America’s Top 50 Lawyers, 2024

» Bar Admissions

• California
• Supreme Court of the United States
• U.S. District Court, Central District of California
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of California

» Professional & Community Activities

• Pacific Symphony, Official General Counsel and Sponsor
• Newport Beach Firefighters Foundation, Legal Counsel
• Public Law Center, Pro Bono Service
• Active supporter of Second Harvest 
• Food Bank of Orange County
• CEO Leadership Alliance of O.C. 
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» Languages

• English
• Mandarin Chinese