Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton has officially opened its Seoul office, the firm’s sixteenth worldwide. It will be headed by partner Seth Byoung Soo Kim.
“Sheppard Mullin has long-standing ties with Korean clients, and we are committed to those relationships and growing the new office,” said Kim in a statement. “Initially, the office will leverage the success of our finance, corporate, antitrust, IP and entertainment practices, and help us serve current and future clients.”
The firm’s Korean client base includes Samsung, Hyundai Motor, Korea Development Bank, Woori Bank, Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank, and Hana Bank.
Sheppard Mullin is one of three international law firms that have been given the green light by the Ministry of Justice to open offices in Korea. The other two approved firms are Clifford Chance and Ropes & Gray.
Below is a table of known foreign law firms that have applied to open offices in Korea:
|
Law Firm |
Headquarters |
Korea office head |
Korea focus areas |
|
Clifford Chance |
UK |
Brian Cassidy, Hyun Kim |
Capital markets, M&A, banking and finance, project finance, arbitration |
|
Ropes & Gray |
U.S. |
William Yongkyun Kim |
Corporate, IP, business litigation, arbitration |
|
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton |
U.S. |
Seth Byoung Soo Kim |
Corporate, finance, antitrust, IP, entertainment |
|
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton |
U.S. |
Yong Guk Lee, Jay Hoon Choi |
Corporate, finance, regulatory, litigation, arbitration |
|
Cohen & Gresser |
U.S. |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Covington & Burling |
U.S. |
William Park, Daniel Spiegel |
Corporate, banking and finance, antitrust, IP, litigation |
|
DLA Piper |
U.S. and UK |
N/A |
N/A |
|
H.C. Park & Associates |
U.S. |
N/A |
N/A |
|
K&L Gates |
U.S. |
N/A |
N/A |
|
McDermott Will & Emery |
U.S. |
In-Young Lee |
M&A, finance, antitrust, restructuring, international trade, IP, litigation |
|
McKenna Long & Aldridge |
U.S. |
Andrew Park |
N/A |
|
O’Melveny & Myers |
U.S. |
Sungyong Kang, Jinwon Park |
Corporate M&A, antitrust, international |
|
Paul Hastings |
U.S. |
Jong Han Kim, Daniel Kim |
PE, M&A, project finance, capital markets, litigation |
|
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett |
U.S. |
Youngjin Sohn |
M&A, capital markets, PE, antitrust, IP, litigation |
|
Squire Sanders |
U.S. |
Joon Yong Kim |
N/A |
|
Herbert Smith (Rumoured) |
UK |
|
|
|
Linklaters (Rumoured) |
UK |
|
|
Kanishk Verghese is North Asia journalist at ALB. Follow us on Twitter: @ALB_Magazine.
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