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

 trade, litigation

 

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

 

 

 *If your information is not listed, please email kanishk.verghese@thomsonreuters.com 

 

 

 Kanishk Verghese is North Asia journalist at ALB. Follow us on Twitter: @ALB_Magazine.

 

 

Other related stories: