Dentons has hired Soo-Youn Kim as a partner to head its Europe South Korea desk – a move designed to cater to Korean clients that have become increasingly active in Europe.

Kim will be based in the firm's Milan office and will coordinate services to Korean-speaking clients across Europe and Central Asia.

"My role will involve assisting Korean clients, leveraging Dentons' presence in 16 countries in Europe," she said. "I will also be responsible for coordinating teams across Europe and Central Asia to build relationships with key Korean investors."

She joins Dentons from Italian law firm Gianni, Origoni, Grippo, Cappelli & Partners. Before moving to Italy, she worked at Pinsent Masons in Dubai and in the U.K., and served as in-house counsel at LG Electronics in the U.K.

Kim said there has been a sharp increase in Korean investors buying real estate in continental Europe. There is also strong interest in automotive, industrial products, consumer goods, life sciences and energy, she said, adding that Korean clients entering the European market do not want to operate in just one country, but across multiple markets in Europe.

"That was one of the most important drivers of my decision to join Dentons," she said.

Soo-Youn Kim Soo-Youn Kim

Tomasz Dabrowski, CEO of Dentons Europe, stated that the firm has a track record of advising leading Korean clients – work handled by lawyers Raphael Won-Pil Suh in Munich and by local teams across Europe and Central Asia.

"Korean investors already have a significant presence in both the industrial and financial sector in Italy," Italy managing partner Federico Sutti added. "Therefore, our aim is to position ourselves as the go-to firm for Korean investors in the Italian market."

In August, Dentons announced plans to combine with South Korean law firm Lee International.