In Memoriam

We are saddened to share that Kim Yelkin, Austin Office Managing Partner unexpectedly passed away in her home the weekend of December 3, 2022. Kim is survived by her daughter Chloe, and Chloe’s fiancée Johannes Lackinger.

Kim was a powerhouse in Austin. In 1989, after a May snow storm in St. Paul, she brought her insurance regulatory and lobby prowess to Austin. In 2002, she opened Foley's Austin office and spent the past 20 years cultivating valuable relationships with colleagues, clients, and the Texas state government.

Kim was a mentor to many and embodied our core value of stewardship. She was a tireless champion of the firm, the Foley brand, and Foley’s culture. She was a fierce advocate for recruiting, retaining, and promoting women to leadership positions. She was key to the firm’s Austin sponsorship of the MLK oratory competition and partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs. Kim left the firm better than she found it and, for that, we can all be grateful. As the city of Austin continues to grow and the intersection between business and state and federal government deepens, the Foley Austin office is well-positioned due to Kim’s efforts.

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Kim Yelkin is nationally recognized in government affairs and is routinely consulted by clients for her knowledge in strategy and execution. Kim brings a unique blend of legal talent and business acumen to assist her clients in solving complex problems which include transactional, regulatory, legislative, litigation avoidance, premium tax and routine compliance matters before various state agencies, particularly for insurance and reinsurance entities doing business in the state of Texas. Kim advises both admitted and non-admitted insurers, insurance agents and private equity funds invested in the insurance space. She is routinely engaged by clients to coordinate multi-state insurance regulatory projects to maximize their long-term competitive advantage and defend against governmental action adverse to their interests.

Kim acts as a trusted advisor to her clients, guiding them through corporate governance, complicated reorganizations and regulatory challenges. Whether it is a project requiring immediate attention or the development and implementation of a long-term strategy, Kim’s clients know her to excel in executing a proactive approach to issues management and strategy development to accomplish their desired goals.

Kim not only has over 30 years of experience in insurance and health care issues, but also represents clients in other industries who have issues with government. Her practice concentration is in administrative, regulatory, and legislative law before the Texas Legislature, the Department of Insurance, the Office of Attorney General, the Texas Department of Health, the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, the Texas Comptroller, the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and other state agencies.

Kim serves as Co-Chair of the firm's State and Local Public Affairs Practice and is also the Austin Office Managing Partner.

Prior to joining Foley, Kim was a Partner at a globally established firm for 12 years. She has a wealth of experience in insurance issues having served as senior government affairs counsel for the St. Paul Companies and associate counsel for the American Insurance Association. Prior to her tenure at the American Insurance Association, she was Deputy District Attorney in Omaha, Neb.

Born and raised in Omaha, Neb., Kim received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University in 1977 and a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Creighton University School of Law in 1980.

Kim's representative clients include:

• Argonaut Group
• Asurion Corp.
• Benfield Inc.
• Caremark Inc.
• Catlin Group Ltd.
• Children's Medical Center of Dallas
• Christian Care Ministry Inc.
• CNA Insurance Group
• CUNA Insurance Group
• CVS Corp.
• Electric Insurance Co. Inc.
• Dallas National Insurance Co.
• Danfoss Chatleff LLC
• Eastham Enterprises Inc.
• Fair Isaac Corp.
• Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co.
• Global Injury Funding LLC
• Grace Health System
• GS Administrators
• Highpoint Risk Services LLC
• Hochheim Prairie Insurance Cos.
• HomeWise Preferred Insurance Co.
• Ideal Settlements
• Insurance Licensing Services of America
• Leaders Life Insurance Co.
• Lexington Insurance Co.
• Merchants Information Solutions Inc.
• National Auto Care Corp.
• National Council on Compensation Insurers
• National Guaranty Insurance Co.
• National Transportation Risk Retention Group
• Preferred Restaurant Services Inc.
• Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc.
• Rainmaker Business Technologies Ltd.
• Reinsurance Association of America
• Rent-A-Center Inc.
• Risk Specialists Cos. Inc.
• R. W. Durham Insurance Agencies
• The Hanover Insurance Group Inc.
• Safeco Lloyds Insurance Co.
• Security Life Insurance Co. of America
• Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co.
• Valores Corporativos Softtek S.A. de C.V.
• Zurich North America

Professional Affiliations

• Member, State Bar of Texas
• Member, State Bar of Nebraska
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, Federation of Regulatory Counsel Inc.
• Secretary, Austin/San Antonio Chapter, The Texas General Counsel Forum
• Member, National Association of Professional Women

Community Involvement

• Texans for the Arts – Board of Directors Member 
• Dress for Success^®, Austin - Board of Directors Former Member
• Corporate Guild, Dress for Success^®, Austin - Board of Directors Former Member
• Austin Children’s Museum - Board of Directors, Advisory Board Former Member
• Leadership Texas - Board of Directors Former Member
• Austin Women’s Symphony League - Board of Directors Former Member
• Ballet Austin - Board of Directors Former Member

Honors & Awards

• Nominee, Austin Business Journal's Profiles in Power Award
  • Government Affairs (2017)
• Recognized, Texas Super Lawyers^®, a Thomson Reuters business, as published in Texas Super Lawyers Magazine
  • Government Relations (2014 - 2017)
• Recognized, Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
  • Insurance: Regulation, Texas (2008 - 2022)
• Selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America^© in the field of Insurance Law (2016 - 2023)    

Education

• Creighton University School of Law (J.D.,1980)
• Duke University (B.A., 1977)

Presentations & Publications

• Co-author, “Constitutional Challenges to Proposed Retroactive COVID-19 Coverage Legislation,” FORC Journal (3rd ed., Vol. 31) (2020)
• Speaker, "Avoiding Fraternal Strife - New Tools for Dealing with Troubled Fraternals," 2020 IAIR Resolution Workshop, Charleston, SC (February 27, 2020)

Admissions

• Texas (1991)
• Nebraska (1980)