Two years after free trade agreements allowed foreign firms to establish outposts in Korea, competition in the country’s legal market is heating up.
Some 20 U.S. and U.K. firms have planted flags in Seoul since 2012, with two more potentially on the way. Sibling publication The Asian Lawyer reported on Monday that Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy has submitted an application to the Ministry of Justice to open an office in Seoul, which will be helmed by Hong Kong partner and Korea practice head Young Joon Kim. That same day, British publication Legal Week reported that Latham & Watkins, which has 20 lawyers in its Korea practice, is sizing up the market.
