Korean Firms Now a Serious Option for Seoul Partners
Seoul-based partners at international firms didn't see joining a Korean firm as a comparable option. But that has changed.
August 22, 2019 at 10:00 AM
6 minute read
Late last year, as Simpson Thacher & Bartlett decided to pull out of South Korea, Seoul office head Youngjin Sohn could have gone to another global firm. But after practising at Wall Street firms his entire legal career, Sohn ended up deciding to be a partner at Kim & Chang, Korea's largest law firm by any measure.
Sohn's move was significant for the Korean lateral market, according to Laurie Lebrun, a Tokyo-based partner at legal recruiter Major, Lindsey & Africa. "I see this as a potentially important shift," said Lebrun, who has also placed lawyers for international firms in Seoul since the Korean legal market liberalisation in 2011, adding that senior lawyers at top international firms may now view top Korean firms as a serious career option.
More lawyers have made similar moves recently. Former Paul Hastings partner Woojae Kim also joined Kim & Chang last year, and the former Korea head of McDermott Will & Emery, Lee In-young, jumped to Lee & Ko – another leading Korean firm – in 2017.
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