Kim & Chang is a dominant force in dispute resolution in South Korea, with more than 200 experienced lawyers in the practice group alone. As the largest domestic firm in the country, it houses many of the market’s top litigation and arbitration specialists, and peers acknowledge the firm’s strength and deep bench across all practice areas and industry sectors. The group’s resources allow teams to be agile and diverse, mirroring the dispute resolution needs of its clients. It is well suited to large-scale litigation in multiple jurisdictions, with its lawyers experienced at handling high-stakes cases and an enviable track record of achieving favourable outcomes for clients. The firm’s litigation practice covers a broad range of areas, including general commercial litigation, intellectual property disputes, antitrust and competition litigation, product liability claims, labour and employment disputes, and white-collar criminal defence. The firm is also a go-to for international clients needing representation in cross-border disputes and international arbitration proceedings.
The firm ranks in the top tier across all benchmark tables as it regularly features in the most complex and landmark cases. The firm’s in-house forensic and legal technical team provides its litigators with a significant advantage as case management becomes more complex, with fact-finding involving high volumes of electronic data.
The firm assisted Schindler Holding in successfully obtaining the largest award in the history of derivative lawsuits in Korea against the chairwoman of Hyundai Group. The same client instructed the international arbitration team for its investor-treaty arbitration against the Republic of Korea. This case represents an important investment treaty arbitration concerning alleged regulatory failings of government authorities in Korea, including a financial supervisory regulator and a competition regulator. The ramifications of this investment treaty arbitration will be significant for defining the reviewable scope of such regulators’ authority in the context of investment treaties.
Client feedback
“The team overall analysed the potential risks and proposed the solutions we needed to resolve the matter.” – Commercial and transactions
“They provided accurate advice on lots of legal issues in a timely manner. And they led the legal cases to great results.” – Commercial and transactions
“Excellent at co-ordinating and managing counsel, experts, witnesses and the clients located in many different jurisdictions and time zones.” – Commercial arbitration
“The firm is great at using its extensive network to connect the company with government authorities.” – Government and regulatory
“They are great at everything. They are timely with their work and their legal writing, particularly given language barriers, is superb.” – Intellectual property
“They excel at everything. They are good for all legal services.” – Intellectual property
“Although the result was not as we expected, I believe Kim & Chang did their best and showed their professional manner, their ability and their efforts.” – International arbitration
“It is the Tyson Fury of international arbitration, being respected as the leading heavyweight arbitral practice.” – International arbitration
“They helped us with our arbitration strategy and preparation of legal advice regarding derived legal matters with relevant teams.” – International arbitration
“From form preparation to closing, K&C provide A-to-Z consultation on forms and feedback.” – Labour and employment
“They promptly provide the service and accurately spotted issues and represented our company in the right way, even though the issue with labour unions is quite complicated.” – Labour and employment
“Great.” – Tax
“Technical excellence, practical approach and effective communication.” – Trade and customs
Hyewon Chang
“Deep understanding of the industry and clients, and great feedback.”
Sungun Jung
“He is good at listening to the issues and ending up with remarkable advice.”
HyeSung Kim
“She managed the overall procedure of arbitration. She communicated with us promptly and managed a very complicated issue well.”
Raymis Kim
“Extremely good communicator who ensures work product is delivered in a timely fashion and is of good quality.”
Sae Youn Kim
“She is an expert in arbitration as well as a wide spectrum of corporate legal matters.”
Byung Hoon Kwak
“He is one of the most famous attorneys in a litigation area of South Korea. He is very good at understanding the company’s position in the rapidly changing business environment and has a great ability to handle complex legal cases. We are satisfied with his work all the time.”
Jae Ha Kwon
“I would recommend Jae Ha Kwon of Kim & Chang’s international arbitration practice. Jae Ha is an English-qualified foreign attorney, and, over the past decade, she has built an impressive list of clients, representing both Korean and international clients across arbitrations and court proceedings. In 2022, Jae Ha became the first lawyer in Korea to be admitted as a Solicitor Advocate and, with her enhanced advocacy skills, I think she has taken more active roles in representing clients at arbitration hearings, including through examinations of witnesses and presentation of oral arguments.”
Chul-Won Lee
“An excellent communicator and lawyer.”
“A goal-oriented dispute resolution lawyer.”
Woojin Lee
“Fantastic communications and technical excellence.”
TY Nam
“Excellent professionalism.”
Hyunjae Park
“He has special knowledge of HR issues, and we rely on his thoughtful comments when we struggle with these. He suggests reasonable service fees and builds an appropriate team considering the issue.”
Ji-Hyo Ryu
“Based on robust intelligence and ample insight into the industry, Ji-Hyo accurately understands what the customer wants. He provides effective and constructive feedback, demonstrating a keen understanding of client needs. Additionally, he has made significant contributions to project success by promptly delivering precise data, even in response to urgent client requests.”
