Lee & Ko excels across all areas of dispute resolution. Its team of talented and experienced litigators is led by 25 partners and 70 lawyers who together cover more than 40 different specialties. The disputes team frequently collaborates with an extensive roster of practice area specialists, from construction to insolvency, and employs the expertise of industry specialists such as economic analysts, international trade experts, accountants, tax specialists, patent attorneys and regulatory analysts. The group comprises more than 80 former Supreme Court Justices and assistant Attorney Generals, among others. A key strength of the firm’s dispute resolution practice is its ability to handle cross-border disputes. Its litigators have experience in managing disputes that involve multiple jurisdictions and are skilled in navigating the complexities of international litigation and arbitration. They are also experienced in working with foreign counsel and managing local counsel in other jurisdictions. The firm is a known market leader for handling serious accidents punishment act matters and a specialist NFT team was recently formed to tackle clients’ increasing blockchain technology, cryptocurrency and NFT issues. To provide on-the-ground support for its expanding roster of technology, media and telecommunications clients, a regional office was opened early last year in Pangyo, the Silicon Valley of South Korea.
A marquee matter for the disputes team saw its lawyers represent multiple domestic currency exchanges, including Dunamu, Coinone and Korbit, against a lawsuit filed by Wemix seeking a provisional injunction for the suspension of its delisting. The court’s ruling is the first case in which the autonomous supervision and sanctions by the Digital Asset eXchange Alliance on cryptocurrencies are acknowledged as legally valid, and is expected to serve as the most important precedent to secure soundness of the virtual currency market in the future.
Client feedback
“They are good at explaining the company’s position to the prosecutor.” – Banking and financial services
“During the lawsuit, a quick judgement of the situation led to an advantageous argument. They have a good understanding of the case in charge.” – Class actions
“Excellent written and oral advocacy.” – Commercial arbitration
“Excellent advocates.” – Commercial arbitration
“Accurate understanding of company issues. Strategic planning of responses throughout the process. Good at predicting how each situation will develop.” – Competition/antitrust
“Excellent communications and knowledge of local market and players.” – Competition/antitrust
“Lee & Ko's overall response to the investigation was excellent. The firm-s lawyers were well prepared and organised, and they provided us with clear and concise advice. In particular, Lee & Ko's on-the-ground response capabilities were outstanding. The firm’s lawyers were able to quickly and effectively respond to multiple search and seizure raids by law enforcement.” – Construction
“Lee & Ko was well prepared to tackle the matter in an expeditious manner with good arguments to make the court fully understand the case in our favour.” – Construction
“They really dig into the technical details when involved in construction matters. They have some excellent in-house senior counsel, who will present their client’s cases in arbitration directly to the tribunal.” – Construction
“They know how to deal with cultural sensitivities that the client might have while being mindful that, for international disputes, the opposing parties will not “play by the same rules”. It is Lee & Ko's ability to tactfully explain to clients why they need to take a certain course of action to protect their interest that I find invaluable when working alongside them.” – International arbitration
“Lee & Ko understands the exact concerns the company has and provides prompt and practical advice” – International arbitration
“Lee & Ko satisfied the needs of its client, who had no experience in arbitration, by giving guidance on the arbitral proceedings and necessary legal advice in a kind and timely manner.” – International arbitration
“The team kept us well informed and was able to liaise with the relevant government bodies to find a solution” – Labour and employment
“High ability to quickly identify issues and propose solutions based on experience and know-how accumulated over a long period of time.” – Product liability and recall
“Quick and accurate case understanding. The team created and implemented the right litigation strategy.” – Real estate
“Lee & Ko worked efficiently such that sufficient data and legal opinions would be submitted to the court in a timely matter. In doing so, they employed an efficient division and management of work.” – White-collar crime
“Lee & Ko defended us well so that we would not be in trouble” – White-collar crime
“About 10 lawsuits are under way against the crime of the subsidiary's representative, and all lawsuits have been won so far.” – White-collar crime
Joohye Hong
“She is very good at judging the situation and is full of will and passion.”
Sunyoung Kim
“Sunyoung Kim has greatly assisted us by proactively leading the overall communications with the client and the foreign co-counsel and within her team throughout the whole process and giving guidance to us on all relevant matters. As these cases continued for a long period, effective communication with the client and the foreign co-counsel and within the Lee & Ko team was the most important aspect. Especially, Sunyoung Kim was able to provide guidance and assurance to the client in a professional and comfortable manner by summarising and explaining to the client all main issues clearly and concisely. She also provided us with detailed analysis of imminent issues and timely and appropriate legal advice and solutions. In addition, she provided us with necessary information and advice on the relevant litigations. I could see that she was extremely hard-working and client-oriented. She worked all day and night for us, and this demonstrates her unparalleled conscientiousness and strong work ethic.”
Seon Tae Kim
“He is very intelligent, highly experienced in construction and very well prepared to deal with the complex aspects of large disputes.”
So Young Kim
“Great communication and understanding. Good at finding resolutions.”
William Kim
“He is a reliable lawyer who provides clear instructions that are understandable internationally. He also kept us updated on the progress of various matters.”
Miji Lee
“She understands the company’s situation and provides the answers we need or want to hear. The quick response has been very helpful to the company’s process.”
Jae Heon Park
“He understands the essence of the case very quickly and accurately. He can develop a litigation strategy that is in the best interests of the client and executes that strategy in an appropriate manner.”
Frank Shyn
“Clear and timely communications. Transparent in work and process.”
Ki Jung Sung
“Precise legal analysis. Excellence in legal writing. Expertise in on-the-ground response to search and seizure raids.”
Robert Wachter
“An excellent advocate and tenacious cross-examiner.”
“Excellent advocate and cross-examiner.”
“He is prompt and responsive; he understands the concerns we have and provides creative ways to resolve issues; he has excellent advocacy skills.”
Kyeong-seop Yoon
“Proactively identifies customer needs and proposes proper solutions.”
“Analyses problems meticulously and calmly, views issues from the customer’s perspective, and devises necessary solutions in a timely manner.”
“Kyeong-seop Yoon has demonstrated exceptional skills as a defence attorney in criminal trial procedures and possesses excellent legal writing abilities.”
“He has demonstrated excellence in responding to investigations and possesses exceptional legal writing skills.”
“Everything was great. Especially, it made me feel a sense of trust.”
“Mr Yoon always does his best for the client and the most positive thing is that he solves the problem with professional knowledge.”
